The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales

Book Description

In his most extraordinary book, "one of the great clinical writers of the 20th century" (The New York Times) recounts the case histories of patients lost in the bizarre, apparently inescapable world of neurological disorders. Oliver Sacks's The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents.

If inconceivably strange, these brilliant tales remain, in Dr. Sacks's splendid and sympathetic telling, deeply human. They are studies of life struggling against incredible adversity, and they enable us to enter the world of the neurologically impaired, to imagine with our hearts what it must be to live and feel as they do. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine's ultimate responsibility: "the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject."

Customer Reviews:

One Of The Greatest Clinical Writers Of The Twentieth Century.......2007-10-10

"ONE OF THE GREATEST CLINICAL WRITERS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY."
---New York Times

"From world-famous neurolotist Dr. Oliver Sacks comes a bestselling collection of fascinating clinical tales representing an intriguing and touching investigation into the complexities of the human mind.

Dr. Sacks draws listeners into the strage and fascinating world of his neurologically impaired patients with humor and compassion:
here are individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations;
patients who have lost their memory and with it the greater part of their past;
who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects, although they can see perfectly;
who are possessed by violent tics and grimaces or who involuntarily shout obscenities;
whose own limbs have become alien;
who have been dismissed as retarded,
yet are gifted with unexpected strengths and talents.

At once inconceivably strange and deeply human,
these tales are studies of life struggling against incredible adversity,
and they enable us to enter the world of the neurologically impaired,
to imagine with our hearts what it must be to live and feel as they do."

"Oliver Sacks is Professor of Clinical Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine."

"The book
THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT
is published by Harper Petennial

Contents: 2 audio cassettes in standard plastic cases inside the paper case.
Running time: Approximately 3 hours.
Abridged with music.

Performance and copyright 1990 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
ISBN 1 55994 368 8."
[from the back of case]

A mind is a wonderful thing to explore.......2007-08-13

I bought this book for only one of its chapters as research for a screenplay, but ended up reading the whole thing. It is fascinating and will give you an appreciation for your own (hopefully functioning) brain. Each story is complete in itself, so it would make for good commuting or bedtime reading.

The Man Who Wrote this book mistook his patients for hats.......2007-07-15

Dr. Sacks' collection of clinical tales is obviously outdated, however this is not its greatest flaw. All of these stories are indeed remarkable, and they speak to the mysterious nature of the human mind and of course to human resilience. It is incredibly fascinating to think how one's individual nature and function can change in response to a neurological change. Dr. Sacks attempts to introduce and involve the reader in his patients' lives, but unfortunately fails to do so. The reader only establishes a superficial connection with the "client," as Dr. Sacks treats his patients as if they were just scientific specimens. In particular, I had a problem with his language and judgment. In "The World of the Simple," he talks about a mentally retarded girl Rebecca..."one sees this with infants, one sees it with the senile, most poignantly, with the Rebeccas of this world" (186). Rebeccas of this world? I was under the impression that he wrote this book to present the individuality and uniqueness of his patients? He simply calls her "mentally defective" (185). In talking about his Autist Artist, Dr. Sacks concludes that Jose will just "do nothing, and spend a useless, fruitless life, as so many other autistic people do, overlooked, unconsidered, in the back ward of a state hospital." I completely agree that people suffering from autism should be given a chance in the workplace, to be offered opportunities to live a real life. However, I do not agree that it is up to Dr. Sacks to decide and declare Jose's life fruitless if he does not work lives up to his social value. Aside from Dr. Sacks' extremely pretentious tone, he does attempt to explore the inner life and conflict of his patients in an interesting way.

Fascinating.......2007-04-18

Each mind described in this book is completely enthralling. You're left wanting to hear more - wondering how Dr. Sacks could hold back from experiments and asking question after question. On the contrary, Dr. Sacks treats all these patients with a high degree of respect and patience. I'm still pondering some of the questions raised in the book - interesting enough, the one that I most remember is the question about our soul...

DON'T MISS IT!.......2007-03-18

One of the most stolen books in our high school library and a very good read for all ages,this is but one of several eclectic books by Oliver Sacks,part of whose work was the subject of the movie Awakenings.

Awakenings, A leg to Stand on, the Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales, Seeing Voices

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Awakenings, A leg to Stand on, the Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales, Seeing Voices
Oliver Sacks
Manufacturer: Quality Paperback book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000X1S3AK

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat & Other Clinical Tales

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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat & Other Clinical Tales
Oliver W. Sacks
Manufacturer: HarperTrade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HM3M56

MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT AND OTHER CLINICAL TALES

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MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT AND OTHER CLINICAL TALES
OLIVER SACKS
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P1AYW8

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
Oliver Sacks
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1416542787

Product Description

"one of the great clinical writers of the twentieth century recounts the case histories of patients lost in the bizarre, apparently inescapable world of neurological discorders."

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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
Oliver Sacks
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S72EKO

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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales
Oliver Sacks
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L55WV6

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Awakenings. A Leg to Stand On. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales. Seeing Voices.

Manufacturer: Quality Paperback Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000CDUC7Q

Product Description

This special Quality Paperback Book Club Edition collects four superb books by Oliver Sacks that, as author says in his preface, "form a sort of series, or evolution,: They also form a canon of the most fascinating, enlightening, and inspiring medical writing of our age.

Book Description

In this timely study, Michel Chossudovsky blows away the smokescreen, put up by the mainstream media, that 9-11 was an "intelligence failure". Through meticulous research, the author uncovers a military-intelligence ploy behind the September 11 attacks, and the coverup and complicity of key members of the Bush Administration.

According to Chossudovsky, the so-called "war on terrorism" is a complete fabrication based on the illusion that one man, Osama bin Laden, outwitted the $30 billion-a-year American intelligence apparatus. The "war on terrorism" is a war of conquest. Globalisation is the final march to the "New World Order", dominated by Wall Street and the U.S. military-industrial complex.

September 11, 2001 was the moment the Bush Administration had been waiting for: the so- called "useful crisis" which provided a pretext for waging a war without borders. The hidden agenda consists in extending the frontiers of the American Empire right around the world to facilitate complete U.S. corporate control outside the U.S. and a police state on the inside.

Chossudovsky peels back the layers of rhetoric to reveal a huge hoax — a complex web of deceit aimed at tricking the American people and the rest of the world into accepting a military solution which threatens the future of humanity.

Customer Reviews:

Precise, direct, and informative !.......2004-11-29

Chossudovski from the Center for Research on Globalization, has written a marvelous expose on the reality behind the globalization process. A bitter reality, that utilizes unscrupulous means to achieve the desired ends for the world's elites. He discusses the political process behind the war on terror with terrifying simplicity and clarity that would leave the reader puzzled, and flabbergasted. I would highly recommend this book for every reader who is interested in seeking the truth that's buried somewhere out there. It's an extremely educational and illuminating book.

Compelling but not the best 9-11 source out there.......2003-09-04

"War and Globalization" provides compelling evidence that key members of the Bush regime played a complicit or near-complicit role in the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Author, Michel Chossudovsky provides an excellent global political and economic context to explain why the current American leadership might be motivated either to plan and execute the attacks, or to at least allow them to happen.

Chossudovsky's book is convincing but also very brief. I would love to see a more expanded and in depth version of War and Globalization in the future. Also he approaches his subject in a very thematic manner that borders on a sort of global conspiracy. It's not that he's necessarily wrong or inaccurate, but I believe many readers would find this book more compelling if he presented the facts in less of a thematic framework.

Putting 9-11 in Proper Focus.......2003-07-18

Canadian professor of economics Michel Chossudovsky contains that rare gift of a writer who can compile massive documentary evidence, then propound it in a succinct, lucid manner. In this illuminating work the host of the critically acclaimed Global Research website takes widely acclaimed and often repeated media assumptions and sharply refutes them, providing a chronology and road map behind 9-11 and related events.

One major assumption that the sagacious Chossudovsky confronts is that of "blowback" apropos 9-11. In essence, in that we were involved in seeking to combat international terrorism, it is only logical that these efforts have been blown back at us through the tragic 9-11 attacks. The author notes that, with the numerous contacts between the Bush family and the U.S. government and Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, the blowback theory has no validity. He notes the linkage between the U.S. government and particularly the CIA and bin Laden extending from 1979 in Afghanistan, when, amid reported anxiety to thwart the Soviet Union and challenge the regime then in place that Moscow supported, a decision was made to back the Saudi terrorist and the radical Islamic network of which he was a part. The author draws an axis involving the CIA, Pakistani Military Intelligence, the Taliban and bin Laden's Al Qaeda Network.

A large part of the book involves a necessary topic area that has been nervously glossed over by conventional American media sources for good reason; it hits too close to home and indicts the largest international energy conglomerates. The author spends much time examining the link between big oil and public policy. In terms of providing vital information, this compact volume provides more valuable information in one chapter than so many contemporary volumes do with many pages on 9-11 and related events. The Trans-Afghan Pipeline chapter is a compact gem, detailing the aspirations of the CentGas Consortium in the region. Chossudovsky demonstrates that the frequently repeated and fallacious Bushie shibboleths of getting Saddam before he gets us are rhetorical sallies designed to inflame public opinion by skirting around the important truths that only a few courageous authors such as himself dare reveal.

In the wake of the current problems experienced by the Bush administration and pre-war statements concerning Iraq and its military capabilities, Chossudovsky's book contains an even sharper ring of necessity. Its bullseye clarity cuts through the morass of Bush verbage, daring readers to examine the pure, unvarnished truth of a nation using its military and intelligence capabilities to control the global oil market on the pretext of making the world a safer place.

Scary..........2003-06-01

Concise and well-researched book on the hidden agenda behind the so-called "war on terrorism". Michel Chossudovsky shows us that it was indeed Washington that has been supporting islamic terrorists since the days of Jimmy Carter (and still continues to do so). The reader learns about the role of the ISI, the Pakistanian secret service, and how it helps the CIA to keep their hands clean.
If only half of it is true (and the sources quoted appear to be very reliable), this is scary. Very scary.

America's tyrany.......2002-12-10

This book shows the real goals behind all of America's actions from the Cold War and on to foriegn policy taken after September 11. Taking over the middle eastern pipelines and segregating Russia, its no wonder the global view of America has gone down.

Book Description

An instructional and applications multimedia supplement to the principles of economics course. Using a multimedia environment (delivered on CD-ROM), this product simulates the real world for the student. Its aim is to apply theory and phenomena that a student extracts from their text and course lecture. This CD has been developed to be used in conjunction with any textbook on the market as an application and simulation tool for the student or as an in-class presentation tool for the instructor. PC Equipment Requirements: RAM: 8MB; Processor: 486sx, 33mhz; Hard Drive: 160 MB; CD-ROM Drive: Double Speed or better; Sound Card: 16-bit digital sound; Video Display: 640x480 pixels, 256 colors; QuickTime for Windows (supplied on CD-ROM). Macintosh Equipment Requirements: Macintosh 68030 or better (or Power Mac); System 7.1 (or better); 8MB RAM or more; Double-speed CD-ROM Drive (or better); 13-inch monitor w/8-bit color (minimum); QuickTime 2.0 (or better) (supplied on CD-ROM).

Customer Reviews:

Great Advice and Funny too!.......2003-06-22

Margaret Bigger's series of wedding books are winners! Filled with good humor and lots of great wedding advice. Highly recommended.

Book Description

As the 70s turned into the 80s, a new club culture was born from the ashes of punk and the legacy of David Bowie. Boy George, Steve Strange, Spandau Ballet, and Duran Duran were part of the scene whose fame began in the `frilly shirt' clubs of London, Birmingham, and Leeds. New Romantic was the breeding ground for a whole generation of musicians and writers, nightlife entrepreneurs and fashion designers, mass market stars and underground art figures. This witty and authoritative account traces the story of the New Romantics from the moment Steve Strange and Rusty Egan began their legendary Bowie Nights at Billy's in Soho, through the move to Blitz, and the growth of the Birmingham scene, to the point where the pop groups it inspired began to spark up clubs and charts all over the world. Much more than a simple history of the Blitz Kids, it also looks at the influence on New Romantics, and the ways in which these were transformed in the crucible of club culture to become the key elements of the late 20th century mainstream.

Customer Reviews:

a great look at my past!!.......2007-03-09

I loved the review of that period in music and style. I was in the thick of it and it touched on a lot of the major icons.

The world of William Hone: A new look at the romantic age in words and pictures of the day

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The world of William Hone: A new look at the romantic age in words and pictures of the day
William Hone
Manufacturer: Shelfmark
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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Confessions of a Raving Unconfined Nut! Misadventures in the Counterculture
Paul Krassner
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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One Hand Jerking: Reports from an Investigative Satirist

Murder at the Conspiracy Convention: And Other American Absurdities

The Winner of the Slow Bicycle Race: The Satirical Writings of Paul Krassner

Paul Krassner's Impolite Interviews

Catch-22

ASIN: 0671677705

Book Description

Final Cut Pro is a serious tool for serious (usually professional) editors--which means that if you're like most users, you already know the software's interface, are well-versed in editing basics, and are interested in just one thing: going as deep as possible with the software's tools and features. This is the book for you. In Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Editing and Finishing Techniques in Final Cut Pro 4, the post-production and training company, DigtalFilm Tree, provides step-by-step instruction in all of the tasks real filmmakers are most interested in: using Mattes and filter effects, creating different "film looks," achieving complex transitions, working with video scopes, adjusting contrast, balancing color and luminance, and more.

Each chapter in this self-paced, Apple-authorized guide represents a self-contained lesson--with a project to complete, a review section, and bonus exercises to reinforce what you've learned. The accompanying DVD includes lesson files and all the materials you'll need to complete the book's projects for a comprehensive course in Final Cut Pro.

DigitalFilm Tree is a West Hollywood-based post-production and design house and authorized training center for both Apple and the Motion Picture Editors Guild. The group, which includes members of the original Final Cut Pro design team, began a revolution in the post-production industry by proving that innovative and affordable systems can produce professional results.

For this book, DigitalFilm Tree assembled an unparalleled team of experts, each contributing his or her area of expertise. Join film director and editor Michael Wohl, effects and color correction specialist Andrew Balis, audio pros Martin Sitter and Mary Plummer, type effects wizard Steve Martin, veteran DVD producer Yan Shvalb, and award-winning film editor Daniel Fort as they bring together their decades of experience in this consummate guide to Final Cut Pro's powerful advanced features.

Customer Reviews:

Certainly helped, but don't really have any use for 80% of the material.......2005-07-28

I would reccommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about using special fx, filters, motion, compositing, titles, or "sound track" in final cut pro, but to those who'd rather do all of this in after effects and would like to know more about codecs, HD, workflow, audio mastering, encoding, compressing, formats, and delivery in Final Cut Pro, I'd have to guess that there's probably something better out there. It would be unfair to say that this book ignores these subjects, but it certainly does not concentrate on them. I'm not dissappointed in my purchase for I certainly learned a lot, but I did expect a bit more. Good for what it's worth, but not great.

The answer to every question, "it's in there!".......2004-11-07

I'm sold on the Apple's Pro Training series for Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Pro 4 and Final Cut Pro Advanced, offer training very economically. If you work independently and learn well from text books, these two offer clear instructions that can be trusted and followed with confidence. By following them carefully, I accomplish complicated tasks, such as animating titles, easily. Although, there are a few misplaced characters there aren't any missing words. By following Apple's lesson plan, I learned how to use tools in FCP. Some of them are so clever they're difficult to comprehend. The slip edit tool, for instance, lets you change which portion of the source file will be shown in a clip without lengthening the sequence. It took awhile before I could understood what was going on. It wasn't like anting I'd encountered before. How to operate the levers, buttons, and bells is important but these two books also teach how to make movies. For example, Final Cut Pro 4 describes how to slip the video into synch with the audio tracks rhythm pattern: how to finesse the leopard to move his head at a specific time in the music. After completing many tutorials in these books, I appreciate documentaries more. I've heard it referred to as a mid-range video editor but I can't foresee needing more power to edit my DV. At first I wondered why LiveType came bundled with Final Cut and why it took up so much room on my hd. After building the example projects, in chapters 19 and 20 of Final Cut Pro Advanced, however, I don't care how much room it needs. My motion titles impressed everyone saw them. Even experienced FinalCut Pro users may learn something about LiveType by reading this book. These books cover color correction, working with film, project management, nesting sequences, multi-track trims -- I'm reminded of the jingle about a good spaghetti sauce, the answer to every question, 'it's in there! I'll be using these two books, Final Cut Pro 4 and Final Cut Pro Advanced, for a long time. Tip: The lessons will go smoother if you read ahead.

Also recommended: Final Cut Pro 4 and Color management in OS X

Problematic..........2004-06-27

I found several mistakes in the book. In one chapter it is recommends that you apply the 3 way color correction filter, when in fact you needed to use the normal color correction filter. I was able to figure out what was actually intended, but it baffles me why Apple as well as Peachpit Press would put out a book like this without a quality assurance check. This was not the only issue with the lessons. In my copy, on lesson 21 it asks you to modify the auxillary 24fps timecode of a clip, but I was unable to do so with the file that was included in the DVD.

If Final Cut Pro was as buggy as this book was, I would have switched over to Premier a long time ago. I am concurrently teaching myself Shake with Apple's Pro Training series for that program and haven't noticed anywhere near the mistakes that I have with this one.

I do have to admit I learned a hell of a lot from this book, WHEN THE LESSONS WORKED, but next time they should have someone do a QA check on the files as well as fact check on the lessons.

BTW, Peachpit has not addressed any of my emails regarding these problems. Not Good!

Excellent book!.......2004-04-19

A very clear definition of how to do nearly everything in FCP4. Having only the knowledge of how to do a simple cut, I was able to follow the book and understand it. I'm still in high school, so you know if I can do this, you can as well. The book contains with it a DVD that offers 8.3 gigabytes of lessons that you give you all the shots you need, and then you open the book and the book explains what to do with the shots given to you. Depending on your current skill level, you can skip any lessons that you already know. The book does require some knowledge of the interface, like the canvas, viewer, browser, and timeline, and how they all function. I recommend the book to anyone that wants to learn FCP4 very well.

Great book!.......2004-03-21

I only wish I had more time to spend with this book. I am fortunatly busy editing! Everytime I sit down with this thing it changes the way I edit. It is clearly written and takes you through good editing techniques as well as how to use FCP to accomplish them. Best $35 I ever spent.

Dan S.

iPeace.tv

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Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Editing and Finishing Techniques in Final Cut Pro 4
DigitalFilm Tree
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Final Cut | Apple | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000MUBOQW

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Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Editing and Finishing Techniques in Final Cut Pro 4 Katrib, Ramy
Ramy Katrib
Manufacturer: Peachpit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Final Cut | Apple | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000LZOYSI

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