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Ackerman, Diane ListingsIf you cannot find what you want on this page, then please use our search feature to search all our listings. Click on Title to view full description
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A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SENSES
Ackerman, Diane
1990 52491 If Colette had studied science and spent time listening to icebergs in Antarctica and interviewing a professional nose in New York, she might have written a book as luscious and erudite as A Natural History of the Senses. In the course of this grand tour of the realm of the senses, Diane Ackerman writes about the evolution of the kiss, the sadistic cuisine of eighteenth-century England, the chemistry of pain, and the melodies of the planet Earth with an evocativeness and charm that make the book itself a marvel of literate sensuality. Publishers Weekly Physiology and philosophy mesh in this poetic investigation of the five senses; essays explore synesthesia, food taboos, kissing and the power and diversity of music. ``Rooted in science, enlivened by her own convincing sense of wonder, Ackerman's essays awaken us to a fresh awareness,'' said PW. (Sept.) Library Journal The five senses not only serve biological functions, they also are inextricably a part of our culture. Award-winning poet Ackerman celebrates the senses by examining their biological bases and the various and bizarre ways we have come to indulge them. Her catalog of the senses is itself a sensuous journey, with prose rich in imagery and rhythm. Ackerman's book is a provocative and entertaining treat whose details will bestir the reader's imagination. Consider, for example, the guest whose pleasure for fragrance led to an untimely death in a shower of rose petals at a Roman feast, or the diner whose thrill at exciting the palate proved deadly upon tasting the poisonous puffer fish. Unlike the fish, this savory delight is recommended for general readers.-- Laurie Bartolini, Lincoln Lib., Springfield, Ill. School Library Journal YA-- An exciting multidiscipline book that crosses the lines of literature, history, anthropology, music, psychology, sociology, and philosophy and that flows with grace and reason. The theme is expressed in such a way as to draw readers into experiential thought and, therefore, impacts heavily upon the way one looks at the issue of sensing and its role for humanity. It is sure to raise readers' consciousness level while providing researched and analyzed information on this topic. In addition, the language is clear and concise, which makes the book valuable to a large cross section of readers. The generous use of cultural and historical examples adds to the readability.-- Nancy Craig, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA Synopsis If Colette had studied science and spent time listening to icebergs in Antarctica and interviewing a professional nose in New York, she might have written a book as luscious and erudite as A Natural History of the Senses. In the course of this grand tour of the realm of the senses, Diane Ackerman writes about the evolution of the kiss, the sadistic cuisine of eighteenth-century England, the chemistry of pain, and the melodies of the planet Earth with an evocativeness and charm that make the book itself a marvel of literate sensuality. Phisology and philosophy mesh in this poetic investigation of the five senses; essays explore synesthesia, food taboos, kissing and the power and diversity of music. ``Rooted in science, enlivened by her own convincing sense of wonder, Ackerman's essays awaken us to a fresh awareness,'' , Note: Book is stamped USED at outside pagesat the bottom; inside pages are NEW and unmarked. Published at twenty dollars in 1990. Random House Publishing Group 0-394-57335-8 / 9780394573359
Hardcover Very Good Condition New York out of Print
Price:
14.36 USD
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CULTIVATING DELIGHT: A NATURAL HISTORY OF MY GARDEN
Ackerman, Diane
2001 46423 Best of 2001 Diane Ackerman relishes the world of her garden. As a poet, she finds within it an endless field of metaphors. As a naturalist, she notices each small, miraculous detail: the hummingbirds and their routines, the showy tulips, the crazy yellow forsythia. Of visiting deer she writes, "I love watching the deer, which always arrive like magic or a miracle or the answer to an unasked question." In her popular book A Natural History of the Senses, Ackerman celebrates the human body; in A Natural History of My Garden, she turns her attention to the world outside the body, outside the human sphere. Structured by seasons, this is a book of subtle shifts, but the reader never feels lost. Her prose is so welcoming, at times it feels like she's talking directly to you, although her lush, poetic language is the opposite of speech. Distracted urban readers craving a book that will transport them would do well to spend time immersed in these pages, as will gardeners who've lost appreciation for their plot. Ackerman is a generous writer--a teacher who will share treasured, obscure passages from Beckett or Hawthorne. She's emotional and highly charged, and her descriptions are so clear they're small marvels. She's remarkable for her ability to find mystery everywhere. --Emily White From Publishers Weekly In a generous and jauntily haphazard excursion through the four seasons of her Ithaca, N.Y., backyard landscape and the innumerable interests of her fertile mind, poet and naturalist Ackerman (A Natural History of the Senses; A Natural History of Love) reprises her role as an enchanting intellectual sensualist. Her extensive flower (and even weed) beds provide both subject matter and metaphor. More interested in what a great garden does for a person's spirit and soul than in how to make it grow, Ackerman buzzes productively from idea to revelation to insight, lighting on topics as diverse as how roses are reminiscent of dolls' faces; why we see faces in nature; how plants, animals and humans are alike; whether plants have motives and instincts; how flowers protect themselves from both heat, aridity and freezing cold; and why women are more prone to hypothermia than men in just five paragraphs. She celebrates the diversity of weeds, finds beauty in chaos and order, embraces trial and error as a way of learning and respects the inevitable cycle of birth, death and rebirth. (Oct.)Forecast: With the success of her earlier works preceding her, and an eight-city author tour and 15-city NPR campaign to come, Ackerman's breezy philosophical lyricism should flourish amoang both garden enthusiasts and fans of encyclopedic curiosity. HarperCollins Publishers 0-06-019986-5 / 9780060199869
Hardcover As New Condition New York
Price:
24.74 USD
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LOVERS: GREAT ROMANCES OF OUR TIME THROUGH THE EYES OF LEGENDARY WRITERS
Ackerman, Diane
1999 20645 From the Publisher Each of these 50 profiles is an intimate pairing: Lauren Bacall on her relationship with Humphrey Bogart; A. Alvarez on the beautiful, sad days of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath; Katharine Hepburn on her stormy life with Spencer Tracy. Lovers also includes contributions from George Burns, Dylan Thomas, Jimmy Carter, and John Gregory Dunne. Every written piece is accompanied by a lush full-page portrait of the couple, by such noted photographers as Cecil Beaton, Neil Leifer, Alan Tannenbaum, Bert Stern, and Annie Leibovitz. Lovers is a book about the fire of true love - the undeniable longing that makes two people the desire of each other's lives. Sometimes it comes in fiery flashes like Burton and Taylor; Rivera and Frida Kahlo; sometimes in the deep, lasting bond of Newman and Woodward; and sometimes in a long, sad trajectory like Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Yet these loves last forever. To put it simply, as Frank Sinatra said of Ava Gardener: "She was my life." Little, Brown & Company 0-8212-2612-6 / 9780821226124
Hardcover AS NEW CONDITION
Price:
30.08 USD
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