The Face: A Natural History

In The Face, bestselling science journalist Daniel McNeill examines the face from many perspectives--physiological, social, psychological, evolutionary, and artistic--and creates a portrait that is as fascinating as it is illuminating. Drawing on these disciplines, he explores the four great realms of the face; its anatomy, its singularity, its ability to communicate, and its beauty. We convey an astonishing range of feelings and thoughts through our faces, with the pursing of the lips, the raising of an eyebrow, or the inexhaustible number of looks in our eyes.

The Face explores this amazing expressiveness, examining the secrets of actors, theories of laughter, weeping, blushing, the evil eye, and more. Beauty is a breathtaking enigma, and scientists still study why it matters and even what it is. McNeill investigates the allure of the face and the age-old quest to enhance it. Daniel McNeill has mapped the world of the face and its myteries in a captivating transformation of one of the most familiar sights in everyday life.