A Natural History of the Senses (1990)

Si Colette hubiera estudiado ciencias con Oliver Sacks, podría haber escrito un libro como éste. Audaz y desinhibido –la autora usa su propio cuerpo como campo de pruebas–, y erudito a la vez –Diane Ackerman nos informa sobre los peculiares procedimientos para perfumarse de las antiguas egipcias, los cruentos rituales de los cocineros ingleses del siglo XVIII, el destino del prepucio de Cristo, el papel de las feromonas en el amor y el enigmático y azaroso efecto al cual deben su maravilloso sonido los Stradivarius–, Una historia natural de los sentidos es una de las obras más eclécticas, menos convencionales y más atractivas que se han escrito sobre el ser humano y sus instrumentos para percibir el mundo.

Exploración ingeniosa de los procesos fisiológicos que subyacen a nuestras percepciones, oda elocuente a los sentidos y a la vida, espléndida combinación de ciencia y poesía, Una historia natural de los sentidos da fe de la curiosidad renacentista de su autora, una curiosidad que ilumina todo lo que toca.

In A Natural History of the Senses Diane Ackerman has produced a densely populated compendium of scientific, artistic, and emotional details related to smell, touch, taste, sound, sight, and synesthesia. She doesn’t occupy herself with any one aspect of each sense for long, always moving on, wanting not to deprive you of anything she knows. If the devil is in the details then there’s much deviltry in her book.

There’s also, to my surprise, much that pleases. The first time I tried the book I had put it aside, unwilling to sit with it any longer, resorting finally to reading random pages until the desire to do even that died. Its feasts of “sensuist” experiences seemed so much excess, the act of reading it work providing little that inspired. I’d think: I’d be exhausted if my senses, any of them, were keyed up as much as all of Diane Ackerman’s are seemingly all of the time. She speaks of the SHOCKING green of chlorophyll. Shocking?

And yet now, coming to the book again a quarter century later, it’s all so much more impressive. I even found her provoking me to make small resolutions. Examples of notes to self:
—She is moved to tears by Eucalyptus smells . . . We have plenty of these trees around here. Find a few, stick my nose near or against them, and see what happens.
—She hears the sound of waves breaking on the beach in a way others do not . . . I live near the ocean. Head on over there and do as she instructs: press ear against sand and listen.

Yep. I’ve come to my senses. A Natural History of the Senses inspires. ( )

Diane Ackerman's historical, scientific, and cultural journey through our senses is one of the most engaging books I've enjoyed. Her research, combined with her impeccable use of language brings the subject to light in a wonderful way. I was spellbound...and then would laugh out loud. ( )

An OK book. People seem to love it, it wasn't particularly memorable for me. ( )

The section about smell is by far my favorite. It was so interesting and it seemed so much less textbooky than the other chapters. The Painter's Eye was also a great chapter; so many intriguing informational tidbits. Overall, not a bad read. ( )