Bodywatching by Desmond Morris - 1985: A Field Guide to the Human Species

In good condition - has markings from use - due to differing weights in books, postage maybe adjusted at checkout.

Most of us take our bodies for granted. We are so familiar with the figure we see in the mirror that we have ceased to wonder at the extraordinary set of organs and tissues that make us what we are. In Bodywatching Desmond Morris takes us on an enthralling expedition of self discovery across the unique landscape that is the human body. He draws aside the veil of familiarity with the originality he has displayed to such extraordinary effect in his worldwide bestsellers The Naked Ape and Manwatching. By dividing the body into a series of landmarks Dr Morris offers an illuminating and often entertaining vision of ourselves.

On the twenty lavishly illustrated stops along the journey from hair to toes each part of the body is considered from every conceivable angle - anatomy, behaviour, evolution, history and culture. Desmond Morris explores the intriguing (and occasionally bizarre) modifications society has imposed. He explains the reasons behind adornment by painting and tattooing and the mutilation of shaving, cutting and piercing, with a diverting discussion of the role of each body part in the world of magic and religious symbolism.

Controversial as always, Dr Morris demonstrates how, in spite of our attempts to alter our bodies with our cultural badges and body customs, we are all very much the same. At a time when our physical and mental health are increasingly under stress from a hostile urban environment, Desmond Morris's plea for us to appreciate the miraculous organism we inhabit strikes a deep and timely chord.