Possessing Genius: The Bizarre Odyssey of Einstein's Brain
UK £14.99,
UK Publication April 2004
ISBN 9781840465495
Hardback
Buy: | Waterstones| Book Depository
The middle finger of Galileo's right hand is on display in a museum in Florence. Napoleon's severed penis is rumoured to be in the hands, as it were, of an American urologist. And the brain of the greatest thinker of the 20th century lies in two muddy cookie jars under a box and behind a beer cooler in Wichita, Kansas.
Follow the bizarre odyssey of Albert Einstein's brain as it roamed the world in mayonnaise jars and courier packages, in car boots and by airmail, and took over one man's life.
In 1955 Princeton pathologist Thomas Harvey found himself dissecting the corpse of Albert Einstein. He seized the chance to salvage the great thinker's brain, convinced it might unlock the enigma of genius. Harvey became the organ's unlikely custodian - slicing, dicing, pickling and preserving for science and for posterity.
Possessing Genius tells this compelling story, about a scientific specimen turned into a holy relic by our rabid culture of celebrity.
'The story Abraham tells is so engaging that the brain becomes an intriguing character.' Los Angeles Times
?In an engrossing and sometimes disturbing volume, Abraham details the peregrinations of what most be one the most unique organs ever submitted to scientific scrutiny.? Vancouver Sun
Winner of the Canadian Science Writer's Award
FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS, THIS EDITION IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE UK AND EIRE.
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‘This book is as gripping as any action packed thriller’ Daily Express
‘An engrossing tale’ Washington Post
‘The story Abraham tells is so engaging that the brain becomes an intriguing character.’ Los Angeles Times
‘Abraham tells this fantastic story in a delightfully dry style, keeping readers enthralled and appalled throughout!’ Good Book Guide
‘Abraham succeeds in playing for laughs without ever being offensive … this is a very brainy book’ Focus
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Carolyn Abraham is the medical reporter for The Globe and Mail in Toronto, Canada. The winner of two national awards from the Canadian Newspaper Association, she won the Hollobon Science in Society Award for her articles on the business of genetics. She lives in Toronto with her husband.
See more books by: Carolyn Abraham
