Oliver Sacks Book order (chronological)

The letters of one of the greatest observers of the human species, revealing his passion for life and work, friendship and art, medicine and society, and the richness of his relationships with friends, family, and fellow intellectuals over the decades, collected here for the first time.

From the best-selling author of Gratitude and On the Move, a final volume of essays that showcase Sacks's broad range of interests-from his passion for ferns, swimming, and horsetails, to his final case histories exploring schizophrenia, dementia, and Alzheimer's. Oliver Sacks, scientist and storyteller, is beloved by readers for his neurological case histories and his fascination and familiarity with human behavior at its most unexpected and unfamiliar. Everything in Its Place is a celebration of Sacks's myriad interests, told with his characteristic compassion and erudition, and in his luminous prose.

The River of Consciousness is a remarkable culmination of a lifetime's research into the way the brain works by the celebrated late neurologist Oliver Sacks.

When Oliver Sacks was twelve years old, a perceptive schoolmaster wrote in his report: 'Sacks will go far, if he does not go too far.' It is now abundantly clear that Sacks has never stopped going. From its opening pages on his youthful obsession with motorcycles and speed, On the Move is infused with his restless energy. As he recounts his experiences as a young neurologist in the early 1960s, first in California and then in New York, where he discovered a long forgotten illness in the back wards of a chronic hospital, as well as with a group of patients who would define his life, it becomes clear that Sacks' earnest desire for engagement has occasioned unexpected encounters and travels - sending him through bars and alleys, over oceans, and across continents. With unbridled honesty and humour, Sacks shows us that the same energy that drives his physical passions - bodybuilding, weightlifting, and swimming - also drives his cerebral passions. He writes about his love affairs, both romantic and intellectual, his guilt over leaving his family to come to America, his bond with his schizophrenic brother, and the writers and scientists - A.R. Luria, W.H. Auden, Francis Crick - who influenced him. On the Move is the story of a brilliantly unconventional physician and writer - and of the man who has illuminated the many ways that the brain makes us human

Oliver Sacks died in August 2015 at his home in Greenwich Village, surrounded by his close friends and family. He was 82. He spent his final days doing what he loved: playing the piano, swimming, enjoying smoked salmon - and writing. As Dr Sacks looked back over his long, adventurous life his final thoughts were of gratitude. In a series of remarkable, beautifully written and uplifting meditations, in Gratitude Dr Sacks reflects on and gives thanks for a life well lived, and expresses his thoughts on growing old, facing terminal cancer and reaching the end. I cannot pretend I am without fear. But my predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved; I have been given much and I have given something in return; I have read and travelled and thought and written. I have had an intercourse with the world, the special intercourse of writers and readers. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.

Why do people have near-death experiences? Are there physical explanations for out-of-body sensations and tunnels of light? What about moments of spiritual ecstasy? In this exploration, a neurologist with three decades of experience examines the biology behind human spirituality, deconstructing the spiritual self and uncovering its origins in primitive areas of the brain. Through revolutionary studies on near-death experiences, it is revealed that spiritual experiences are incidental products of various neurological processes acting independently. When we feel close to God or sense the presence of departed relatives, we may believe we are standing at the border of this world and the next. However, the reality is different: our brain function resembles a Cubist painting, and the experiences we consider the height of humanity are produced by primal reflexes. This journey into the borderlands of consciousness offers a comprehensive, empirically-tested, peer-reviewed examination of our capacity for near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, and mystical states induced by hallucinogenic drugs.

Drawing on a wealth of clinical examples from his own patients as well as historical and literary descriptions, Oliver Sacks investigates the fundamental differences and similarities of many sorts of hallucinations.

Ve své nejzásadnější knize neurolog Oliver Sacks přibližuje neobyčejné příběhy dvaceti pacientů dlouhodobě žijících v nemocnici pro chronicky nemocné. Tito lidé přežili pozapomenutou velkou epidemii spavé nemoci, jež ve dvacátých letech minulého století zasáhla celý svět. Podivuhodné explozivní probuzení ze somnambulního, často absolutně nehybného a na vnějším okolí zcela závislého stavu, ve kterém přežívali několik desetiletí, umožní až použití nového léku, L-DOPY. Dozvíme se tak podrobně a z první ruky (neboť autor vyznává osobní přístup a setkání s pacienty tváří v tvář), jaký byl jejich život předtím, jak absolutně "zpomalení" byli, a jak se postupně probouzeli, stávali aktivnějšími, doslova "zrychlenějšími", vraceli se do života, ve světě, který byl pro ně úplně nový a cizí, a jak se vypořádávali s leckdy druhým pólem: tiky, nutkáním, patologickou euforií. Osudy jednotlivých pacientů se liší, jak co se týče rodinné situace, věku, kdy je nemoc postihla, tak i anamnézou či reakcí na lék.

The bestselling author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat describes how we experience the visual world.In The Mind's Eye, Oliver Sacks tells the stories of people who are able to navigate the world and communicate with others despite losing what many of us consider indispensable senses and abilities: the capacity to recognise faces, the sense of three-dimensional space, the ability to read, the sense of sight. For all of these people, the challenge is to adapt to a radically new way of being in the world, and The Mind's Eye is testament to the myriad ways that we, as humans, are capable of rising to this challenge. As such, it's also testament to the human power of creativity and adaptation.

‘A humane discourse on the fragility of our minds, of the bodies that give rise to them, and of the world they create for us.’ Daily Telegraph Oliver Sacks’ compassionate tales of people struggling to adapt to different neurological conditions have fundamentally changed the way we understand our own minds. In Musicophilia, he examines the powers of music through the individual experiences of patients, musicians and everyday people – those struck by affliction, unusual talent and even, in one case, by lightning – to show not only that music occupies more areas of the brain than language does, but also that it can calm and organize, torment and heal. Always wise and compellingly readable, these stories alter our conception of who we are and how we function, and show us an essential part of what it is to be human. ‘Fascinating. Music, as Sacks explains, “can pierce the heart directly”. And this is the truth that he so brilliantly focuses upon – that music saves, consoles and nourishes us’ Daily Mail ‘Irresistible, astonishing and moving’ Spectator ‘Deeply warm and sympathetic’ Guardian

Left for dead in a dumpster, private investigator Benny Cooperman becomes his own client in his most puzzling mystery yet. Benny is recovering in a Toronto hospital from a serious blow to the head. He has a condition called alexia sine agraphia; in layman's terms, it means he can still write but cannot read. And his memory has been affected too: Although he can quote lines from his high-school production of Twelfth Night, he finds himself brushing his teeth with his shaving cream. Even his girlfriend's name—Anna Abraham—continues to elude him. When Benny learns that he was found unconscious beside a dead woman, he figures he must have been close to solving a case. With Anna working as field agent and two Toronto cops reluctantly sharing their discoveries, Benny pieces together the events that led to a murder—and his own injuries.

Oaxaca, im Süden Mexikos, verkörpert die Essenz des Landes mit Lebensfreude, indianischer Geschichte und kolonialer Kultur. Oliver Sacks’ Tagebuch einer Reise mit Hobbybotanikern bietet eine heitere Annäherung und Lobpreisung dieser Region. Die "süße, unverdorbene, vorprofessionelle Atmosphäre" der naturwissenschaftlichen Amateurvereine hat Sacks schon immer angezogen. Bei einer Exkursion mit der Amerikanischen Farngesellschaft in Oaxaca geht es ihm nicht nur um seltene Farne. Er freut sich darauf, dem strengen New Yorker Winter zu entkommen, und lässt sich auf das Abenteuer in diesem fremden Land ein. Bereits beim Abheben mit AeroMexico genießt er das lebhafte Treiben an Bord, das sich stark von dem nüchternen öffentlichen Leben in den USA unterscheidet. Mit unermüdlicher Neugier, Offenheit und Selbstironie interessiert sich Sacks für das Land, die Menschen und die Geschichte Mexikos, von der Paläontologie bis zur Revolution. Er lässt sich von seinen erfahrenen Reisegefährten belehren und besucht die berühmte Riesenzypresse "El Gigante" in Santa Maria del Tule, die bereits Alexander von Humboldt bewunderte. Ein heiteres und anregendes Buch, das einen Ausflug nach Mexiko widerspiegelt.

Una donna che sostiene di parlare con Dio, un atleta che ha perso il braccio ma non la sensazione di poterne disporre, un giovane coinvolto in un tragico incidente stradale convinto che i genitori siano stati sostituiti da replicanti, e ancora il caso del celebre umorista e vignettista James Thurber, colto da allucinazioni fantastiche e "sostitutive della realtà" in seguito alla progressiva perdita della vista. Ciascuno di questi disturbi patologici è il punto di partenza per indagare su quella macchina straordinaria e animata che è il cervello, nel tentativo di ricostruirne l'architettura e il funzionamento e di dare una spiegazione alle nostre predisposizioni intellettuali o pratiche, ai nostri comportamenti e stati d'animo.

Oliver Sacks schrijft over een varenexpeditie naar Oaxaca, in het zuiden van Mexico. Maar Sacks zou Sacks niet zijn als hij zich daartoe beperkte. Hij vertelt uitgebreid over het dagelijks leven in Mexico, over de tragische geschiedenis van dit prachtige land, over chocola en rubber, Azteken en mescal en over heel veel meer. De eruditie en humor van Sacks maken Mexicaans dagboek tot een uiterst boeiend reisverhaal.

A memoir of the scientific wonder of youth by the distinguished neurologist and author describes his fascination with metals, gasses, and chemicals, especially "Uncle Tungsten," and with unravelling the complex mysteries of the world around him.

While still a student, Freud published his first research papers on neurology, showcasing his early scientific career that began with physiological studies on eels and progressed to the nervous system of the river crayfish. Confronted by a physicalistic-scientific worldview from his teachers, Freud embraced it, leading to the development of his earliest psychological theory. Although he later rejected the model that sought to explain the psyche through brain physiology, his scientific curiosity remained focused on uncovering the precise structure of the psyche. The authors argue that the foundations of psychoanalysis are rooted in the same scientific principles that shaped Freud's early neuroscientific research, suggesting that he never fully abandoned this epistemological orientation, even in his later works. The book includes contributions from various scholars, discussing topics such as Freud's dual identity as a neurologist and psychoanalyst, the influence of neurological models on psychoanalysis, and the visual representation of nerve cells and psychical mechanisms. It also examines Freud's legacy in relation to defenses, somatic symptoms, and neurophysiology, as well as concepts like discharge, reflex, free energy, and encoding.

A study of the residents of the South Pacific atoll of Pingelap. This investigates the causes and effects of the high incidence of colour blindness amongst the population.

Der New Yorker Neurologe Oliver Sacks ist durch seine Fallgeschichten weltberühmt geworden. Voller Empathie und mit großer Fachkenntnis hat er immer wieder Menschen porträtiert, deren Leben durch eine schwere Krankheit oder Behinderung geprägt wurde – und hat seinen Lesern gezeigt, welche Chancen die Abweichungen vom sogenannten Normalen bieten und welche positiven Besonderheiten die betroffenen Menschen auszeichnen. Greg F. war ein begabter, musikbegeisterter junger Mann, der die amerikanische Studentenrebellion der sechziger Jahre miterlebte – mitsamt ihren Drogenexperimenten und Hare-Krishna-Eskapaden. Dann warf ihn ein Hirntumor aus der Bahn. Greg erblindete und galt fortan als neurologisch und psychisch schwer behindert – ein sogenannter hoffnungsloser Fall, an den Rollstuhl gefesselt. Oliver Sacks nahm sich des Patienten an und näherte sich ihm in einem langwierigen Prozess, den er in dieser Fallgeschichte einfühlsam beschreibt. Schließlich bringt er Greg zu einem Konzert von dessen einstiger Lieblingsband «Grateful Dead» in den Madison Square Garden – und die Sinne des Schwerkranken werden auf verblüffende Weise neu aktiviert. Eine Geschichte, die unter die Haut geht – und die überraschende Einsichten in die oft rätselhafte Funktionsweise unseres Gehirns bietet.

In these essays, Jonathan Miller, Oliver Sacks and Daniel Kevles show how and why some discoveries and insights in science emerge with great promise, only to be discarded or forgotten, then re-emerge years later as important. Richard Lewontin and Stephen Jay Gould suggest deep and largely unacknowledged distortions in the way scientists and popularizers alike conceive the sturcture of the world and its natural history. Illustrations.

The idea that some people think differently, though no less humanely, is explored in this inspiring book. Temple Grandin is a gifted and successful animal scientist, and she is autistic. Here she tells us what it was like to grow up perceiving the world in an entirely concrete and visual way - somewhat akin to how animals think, she believes - and how it feels now. Through her finely observed understanding of the workings of her mind she gives us an invaluable insight into autism and its challenges.

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NBC SERIES BRILLIANT MINDS • From the bestselling author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat • Fascinating portraits of neurological disorder in which men, women, and one extraordinary child emerge as brilliantly adaptive personalities, whose conditions have not so much debilitated them as ushered them into another reality. Here are seven detailed narratives of neurological patients, including a surgeon consumed by the compulsive tics of Tourette's syndrome unless he is operating; an artist who loses all sense of color in a car accident, but finds a new sensibility and creative power in black and white; and an autistic professor who cannot decipher the simplest social exchange between humans, but has built a career out of her intuitive understanding of animal behavior. Sacks combines the well honed mind of an academician with the verve of a true storyteller.

A neurologist investigates the world of the deaf, examining their past and present treatment at the hands of society, and assesses the value and significance of sign language.

"Balanced, authoritative . . . brilliant."  --The London Times "Written by one of the great clinical writers of the twentieth century, Migraine . . . should be read as much for its brilliant insights into the nature of our mental functioning as for its discussion of the migraine."  --The New York Times Book Review The many manifestations of migraine can vary dramatically from one patient to another, even within the same patient at different times. Among the most compelling and perplexing of these symptoms are the strange visual hallucinations and distortions of space, time, and body image which migraineurs sometimes experience. Portrayals of these uncanny states have found their way into many works of art, from the heavenly visions of Hildegard von Bingen to Alice in Wonderland. Dr. Oliver Sacks argues that migraine cannot be understood simply as an illness, but must be viewed as a complex condition with a unique role to play in each individual's life. "I am sure . . . that any layman who is interested in the relation between the body and mind . . . will find the book as fascinating as I have."  --W. H. Auden, The New York Review of Books

‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is populated by a cast as strange as that of the most fantastic fiction. The subject of this strange and wonderful book is what happens when things go wrong with parts of the brain most of us don’t know exist . . . Dr Sacks shows the awesome powers of our mind and just how delicately balanced they have to be’ Sunday Times ‘Who is this book for? Who is it not for? It is for everybody who has felt from time to time that certain twinge of self-identity and sensed how easily, at any moment, one might lose it’ The Times ‘This is, in the best sense, a serious book. It is, indeed, a wonderful book, by which I mean not only that it is excellent (which it is) but also that it is full of wonder, wonders and wondering. He brings to these often unhappy people understanding, sympathy and respect. Sacks is always learning from his patients, marvelling at them, widening his own understanding and ours’ Punch

'Sacks has written a book about a leg, his leg; but it is a story about the nature of selfhood - a narrative comparable to Conrad's " The Secret Sharer"' "New York Review of Books " 'Losing the use of a limb is a catastrophe, and it needed a thoughtful essay written about it. This is it. It is more than that. Oliver Sacks is a neurologist of wide lay reading, a man of humane eloquence, a genuine communicator aware of the damnable rift that subsists between doctor and patient. Its value lies in its willingness to combine the technical and the demonic, to admit poetry and philosophy and the religious impulse. It is also intensely personal, but it affirms the community of human experience' Anthony Burgess, "Observer" 'It is in every way a marvellously rich and thoughtful tale. Dr Sacks has, once again, emphatically shown how much there is still to be learned from painstakingly observed and chronicled case history' " Sunday Telegraph" 'Dr Sacks reviews his predicament in exact clinical, emotional and philosophical terms. No one has described that famous condition so well before. A remarkable, generous, vivid and thoroughly intelligent piece of writing' "Sunday Times"

By the author of Seeing Voices', this is a narrative about the awakening of 20 patients from a zombie-like state they had suffered for over 40 years. A new drug meant the sleeping sickness disease was now treatable. Sacks tells the history, offers his own observations and the patients' reactions.