Will I love A Natural History of the Senses?

This is one of my favorite of Ackerman's books. I found myself thinking about some new aspect of the world that I learned from it days after I'd read the relevant passage. I also confess to highlighting and underlining various sections in my hard copy while making notes in the margins of thoughts the essays evoked. Not only is the book a fascinating treatise on the five senses, but Ackerman's writing is so beautiful that many essays invite you to stay and revel in the prose just for the sheer joy of it.

This is THE book to read on the senses, so I’m stating the obvious here. But let me tell you why it must be at the top of my list. Diane Ackerman takes us through a series of sensuous experiences, from extreme cold to a delicious massage to a thought-provoking meal.

But what’s remarkable is that because she’s a poet, her words pull you out of your mind and into your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin cells. Here’s just one line. “Words are small shapes in the gorgeous chaos of the world. But they are shapes; they bring the… show more.

A Natural History of the Senses is gorgeously written and poetic while simultaneously presenting accurate basic science about our five senses. Diane Ackerman stunningly shows how a gifted writer can decipher a field, captivate the general public, and elicit the fascination and wonder that a topic deserves. I am also ever delighted by the fact that the book starts with the sense of smell, rather than relegating it to the least and last section as most books on our senses do. A Natural History of the Senses is a beautiful compendium of biology and a tour of human perception.