The Man Who Tasted Words explores how our senses shape our world and how tiny shifts in the microbiology of our nervous systems can cause the world around us to shift and mutate. It features extraordinary individuals and challenges us to question the idea of 'normal senses' and whether such a thing even exists.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 03 February 2022
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

*As featured on Steven Bartletts Diary of a CEO podcast* ‘From the opening paragraph,I was spellbound,entranced. Through real stories about what happens when our fragile perception of the world around us and within us is severed,Guy Leschziner connects us back to our senses. Professor Alice Roberts Where are you now? Look around you; what can you see? Close your eyes and think of a loved one – do you see their face? Stretch out a hand; what can you feel with your fingertips,your palm,the soft underside of your wrist? What can you hear – nearby and far away?   The information you receive from your senses makes up your world. But that world does not exist. What we perceive to be the absolute truth of the world around us is a complex reconstruction,a virtual reality created by the complex machinations of our minds in tandem with the wiring of our nervous systems. But what happens if that wiring goes awry? What happens if connections falter,or new and unexpected connections are made? Tiny shifts in the microbiology of our nervous systems can cause the world around us to shift and mutate,to become alien and unfamiliar. In The Man Who Tasted Words ,consultant neurologist Guy Leschziner takes us on a journey through the senses,exploring how each one shapes our experience of the world. And investigating what happens when they deviate from the norm. Along the way we meet a number of extraordinary individuals and step through the looking glass and into their worlds. Worlds where hot and cold are reversed,where a person with no sight sees fantastical visions,or where words have a taste and sounds create sensations. But while fascinating,their experiences are more than simply curiosities. They teach us about our own perception of the world,forcing us .

As featured on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast

From the opening paragraph, I was spellbound, entranced. Through real stories about what happens when our fragile perception of the world around us and within us is severed, Guy Leschziner connects us back to our senses.

Professor Alice Roberts

Where are you now? Look around you; what can you see? Close your eyes and think of a loved one – do you see their face? Stretch out a hand; what can you feel with your fingertips, your palm, the soft underside of your wrist? What can you hear – nearby and far away?

The information you receive from your senses makes up your world. But that world does not exist. What we perceive to be the absolute truth of the world around us is a complex reconstruction, a virtual reality created by the complex machinations of our minds in tandem with the wiring of our nervous systems. But what happens if that wiring goes awry? What happens if connections falter, or new and unexpected connections are made? Tiny shifts in the microbiology of our nervous systems can cause the world around us to shift and mutate, to become alien and unfamiliar.

In The Man Who Tasted Words, consultant neurologist Guy Leschziner takes us on a journey through the senses, exploring how each one shapes our experience of the world. And investigating what happens when they deviate from the norm. Along the way we meet a number of extraordinary individuals and step through the looking glass and into their worlds. Worlds where hot and cold are reversed, where a person with no sight sees fantastical visions, or where words have a taste and sounds create sensations.

But while fascinating, their experiences are more than simply curiosities. They teach us about our own perception of the world, forcing us to question everything we thought we knew.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 159 x 234 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781471193958
Edition number: Export/Airside