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Musicophilia

Tales of Music and the Brain

Tales of Music and the Brain

Tales of Music and the Brain

By Oliver Sacks

By Oliver Sacks

By Oliver Sacks

By Oliver Sacks

By Oliver Sacks
Read by John Lee

By Oliver Sacks
Read by John Lee

By Oliver Sacks
Read by Simon Prebble

By Oliver Sacks
Read by Simon Prebble

Best Seller
Paperback $18.00

Sep 23, 2008 | ISBN 9781400033539

Ebook $13.99

Sep 23, 2008 | ISBN 9780307267917

Audiobook Download $22.50

Oct 16, 2007 | 667 Minutes

Audiobook Download $14.98

Oct 16, 2007 | 357 Minutes

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    Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
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    About Musicophilia

    Revised and Expanded
    With the same trademark compassion and erudition he brought to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks explores the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human condition. In Musicophilia, he shows us a variety of what he calls “musical misalignments.” Among them: a man struck by lightning who suddenly desires to become a pianist at the age of forty-two; an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; people with “amusia,” to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans; and a man whose memory spans only seven seconds-for everything but music. Illuminating, inspiring, and utterly unforgettable, Musicophilia is Oliver Sacks’ latest masterpiece.

    About Musicophilia

    Revised and Expanded
    With the same trademark compassion and erudition he brought to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks explores the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human condition. In Musicophilia, he shows us a variety of what he calls “musical misalignments.” Among them: a man struck by lightning who suddenly desires to become a pianist at the age of forty-two; an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; people with “amusia,” to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans; and a man whose memory spans only seven seconds-for everything but music. Illuminating, inspiring, and utterly unforgettable, Musicophilia is Oliver Sacks’ latest masterpiece.

    About Musicophilia

    Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat. But the power of music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of our brain than language does–humans are a musical species.

    Oliver Sacks’s compassionate, compelling tales of people struggling to adapt to different neurological conditions have fundamentally changed the way we think of our own brains, and of the human experience. In MUSICOPHILIA, he examines the powers of music through the individual experiences of patients, musicians, and everyday people. He explores how catchy tunes can subject us to hours of mental replay, and how a surprising number of people acquire nonstop musical hallucinations that assault them night and day. Yet far more frequently, music goes right: Sacks describes how music can animate people with Parkinson’s disease who cannot otherwise move, give words to stroke patients who cannot otherwise speak, and calm and organize people whose memories are ravaged by Alzheimer’s or amnesia.

    Music is irresistible, haunting, and unforgettable, and in MUSICOPHILIA, Oliver Sacks tells us why.

    About Musicophilia

    Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat.  But the power of music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of our brain than language does—humans are a musical species.

    Oliver Sacks’s compassionate, compelling tales of people struggling to adapt to different neurological conditions have fundamentally changed the way we think of our own brains, and of the human experience. In Musicophilia, he examines the powers of music through the individual experiences of patients, musicians, and everyday people—from a man who is struck by lightning and suddenly inspired to become a pianist at the age of forty-two, to an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; from people with “amusia,” to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans, to a man whose memory spans only seven seconds—for everything but music.

    Our exquisite sensitivity to music can sometimes go wrong: Sacks explores how catchy tunes can subject us to hours of mental replay, and how a surprising number of people acquire nonstop musical hallucinations that assault them night and day. Yet far more frequently, music goes right: Sacks describes how music can animate people with Parkinson’s disease who cannot otherwise move, give words to stroke patients who cannot otherwise speak, and calm and organize people whose memories are ravaged by Alzheimer’s or amnesia.

    Music is irresistible, haunting, and unforgettable, and in Musicophilia, Oliver Sacks tells us why.

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    Listen to a sample from Musicophilia

    Also by Oliver Sacks

    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    A Leg to Stand On
    Everything in Its Place
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    See all books by Oliver Sacks

    Also by Oliver Sacks

    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    A Leg to Stand On
    Everything in Its Place
    The Creative Self
    See all books by Oliver Sacks

    Also by Oliver Sacks

    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    A Leg to Stand On
    Everything in Its Place
    The Creative Self
    See all books by Oliver Sacks

    Also by Oliver Sacks

    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    A Leg to Stand On
    Everything in Its Place
    The Creative Self
    See all books by Oliver Sacks

    About Oliver Sacks

    Dr. Oliver Sacks spent more than fifty years working as a neurologist and writing books about the neurological predicaments and conditions of his patients, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia, and Hallucinations. The New York Times referred to him as “the… More about Oliver Sacks

    About Oliver Sacks

    Dr. Oliver Sacks spent more than fifty years working as a neurologist and writing books about the neurological predicaments and conditions of his patients, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia, and Hallucinations. The New York Times referred to him as “the… More about Oliver Sacks

    About Oliver Sacks

    Dr. Oliver Sacks spent more than fifty years working as a neurologist and writing books about the neurological predicaments and conditions of his patients, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia, and Hallucinations. The New York Times referred to him as “the… More about Oliver Sacks

    About Oliver Sacks

    Dr. Oliver Sacks spent more than fifty years working as a neurologist and writing books about the neurological predicaments and conditions of his patients, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia, and Hallucinations. The New York Times referred to him as “the… More about Oliver Sacks

    Product Details

    Category: Psychology | Music | Wellness

    Paperback | $18.00
    Published by Vintage
    Sep 23, 2008 | 448 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9781400033539

    Category: Psychology | Music | Wellness

    Ebook | $13.99
    Published by Vintage
    Sep 23, 2008 | 400 Pages | ISBN 9780307267917

    Category: Psychology | Music | Wellness | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $22.50
    Published by Random House Audio
    Oct 16, 2007 | 667 Minutes | ISBN 9781415942673

    Category: Psychology | Music | Wellness | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $14.98
    Published by Random House Audio
    Oct 16, 2007 | 357 Minutes | ISBN 9780739357408

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    Praise

    “Powerful and compassionate. . . . A book that not only contributes to our understanding of the elusive magic of music but also illuminates the strange workings, and misfirings, of the human mind.” —The New York Times“Curious, cultured, caring. . . . Musicophilia allows readers to join Sacks where he is most alive, amid melodies and with his patients.” —The Washington Post Book World“Sacks has an expert bedside manner: informed but humble, self-questioning, literary without being self-conscious.”—Los Angeles Times“Sacks spins one fascinating tale after another to show what happens when music and the brain mix it up.” —Newsweek“Sacks once again examines the many mysteries of a fascinating subject.” —The Seattle Times

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