How to Read a Person Like a Book, [Hardcover]

Gerard I. Nierenberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1971

1 cassette / 40 minutes
A multi-voice production

Explore the language that exists beyond words - the language of the body and its gestures.

Whether conscious or not of our bodies' movements, we express our feelings, attitudes, and motives through gestures that are often vague and frequently ignored.  How to Read a Person Like a Book teaches you how to "decode" and reply to nonverbal signals from strangers, friends, and business associates, allowing you to:

* Gain command of business and social situations
* Sharpen your negotiating skills
* Recognize signals of affection and attraction
* Enrich your knowledge of body language.

Learn the clues that make reading people easy.  Gerard Nierenberg's proven techniques for gaining control of negotiations, detecting lies, or recognizing signals of affection and sexual attraction will dramatically improve your understanding of others, giving you the advantage of added insight into all social and business situations.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

I took a road trip in January, drove from Dallas to New York City with one of my best friends. One problem we knew we would face was music. Where I tend to lean towards singers who hold a bottle of whiskey while singing, he enjoys the smooth sounds of R&B.

AudioBooks were the solution.

After listening to How to Read a Person Like a Book somewhere between Memphis and Nashville, every single gesture was analyzed, and in a small way, still is. And now I'm very conscious of what my body language is and I don't sit in meetings with my arms folded in front of me.
-Carrie, Random House AudioBooks Publicity --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

1 cassette / 40 minutes
A multi-voice production

Explore the language that exists beyond words - the language of the body and its gestures.

Whether conscious or not of our bodies' movements, we express our feelings, attitudes, and motives through gestures that are often vague and frequently ignored. How to Read a Person Like a Book teaches you how to "decode" and reply to nonverbal signals from strangers, friends, and business associates, allowing you to:

* Gain command of business and social situations
* Sharpen your negotiating skills
* Recognize signals of affection and attraction
* Enrich your knowledge of body language.

Learn the clues that make reading people easy. Gerard Nierenberg's proven techniques for gaining control of negotiations, detecting lies, or recognizing signals of affection and sexual attraction will dramatically improve your understanding of others, giving you the advantage of added insight into all social and business situations. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: E P Dutton (January 1971)
• ISBN-10: 080153738X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801537387
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,003,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Generally Good Information In A Dated Book, May 12, 2006

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Read a Person Like a Book (Hardcover)

I have read several books on body language, and find this book in the middle of the pack. The general information in the book is good overall, though rarely surprising. Although body language probably does not change within a culture very rapidly, this book is very dated, and was, in fact, originally published in 1971. The book betrays its age by references to elaborate hair grooming and preening customs among hippies, and an extensive analysis of smoking behavior during business negotiations, which, while still a factor in some predominantly Asian countries, is now a nearly defunct custom in most of the west, certainly in corporate America. While people interested in the history of body language may find the accounts of pipe lighting and cigarette extinguishing practices interesting, it is largely a distraction. The illustrations also reveal the age of the book: they are all black and white pen and ink drawings, and while they are not terrible, there are much better illustrations available now.

Having said all that, there is some good information in the book, and I think the book would be especially useful to people new to thinking consciously about body language. I like the quotations that begin every section: everyone from Shakespeare to Pliny the Elder is quoted, and they really do set the tone for the section that follows.

Interestingly, one of the reasons many people are interested in body language is in the field of romance, and while the dust jacket primes the reader to expect a full accounting of flirtation, in reality the book only devotes four pages to "courtship;" at any rate there are many better books specifically geared to that on the market. The book does offer some genuine insight into posturing in business negotiations, though, and I can say that while there are no Earth-shattering revelations presented, the book is worth reading for that set of insights alone.

On balance, I would probably give this book three and a half stars, but I can't give it four because it's just too dated. It is a decent introduction to body language, but I would look at other more recent books first.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An oldie but a goodie, February 5, 2007

By 

John Westbrook "Johnny" (NYC, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Read a Person Like a Book (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was one of the first one the scene in term of reading people. Granted, some of the material may seem outdated, but much of it is grounded in good basic pscyhology. If you want something a little more cutting edge, then check out David Lieberman's You Can Read Anyone. Lieberman's book is filled with specific techniques for many different situations, and his stuff is always very practical.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Newly updated and totally revised version of a great book!!, September 15, 2010

By 

Anthony E. Pomes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Read a Person Like a Book: Using Body Language to Know What People Are Thinking (Paperback)

Just this past year, a totally revised edition of this book was published by Square One Publishers as a trade paperback. This new edition features several new line illustrations that show the intricacies of body language. In addition, this new edition of the book benefits greatly from the added input of second co-author Professor Gabriel Grayson - a body language expert and bestselling author of the sign language reference guide TALKING WITH YOUR HANDS, LISTENING WITH YOUR EYES. If you want the best and most up-to-date version of this material, then this is the book you want!!