The science, history, philosophy, and mythology of how and why we see the way we do.
We spend about one-tenth of our waking hours completely blind. Only one percent of what we see is in focus at any one time. There is no direct fossil evidence for the evolution of the eye. In graceful, accessible prose, novelist and science writer Simon Ings sets out to solve these and other mysteries of seeing. A Natural History of Seeing delves into both the evolution of sight and the evolution of our understanding of sight. It gives us the natural science—the physics of light and the biology of animals and humans alike—while also addressing Leonardo's theories of perception in painting and Homer's confused and strangely limited sense of color. Panoramic in every sense, it reaches back to the first seers (and to ancient beliefs that vision is the product of mysterious optic rays) and forward to the promise of modern experiments in making robots that see. 16 pages of color; 90 black-and-white illustrations
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Ings avoids a conventional approach to his subject, the sense of sight, opting instead for an eclectic presentation. Although he brings in the people who discovered the anatomy, chemistry, genetics, and psychology of human vision, Ings integrates them into a narrative directed more by his own thoughts about the eye, whether prompted by watching his infant daughter’s way of watching things or by musing on the play of light outside his window. This personal train of thought, however, is robustly reinforced by Ings’ engagement with research on vision from ancient times to the present; curiosity and a willingness to challenge whether experts have got it right are the attractive qualities of his book. Packed with illustrations, it unpacks the apparent continuous quality of human vision by exploring the actual discontinuity of the sense, from the blind spot to the saccade, a term for the eye’s twitchy reassembly many times per second of its field of view. Diving into evolution, too, Ings’ excitement about sight will entice science buffs. --Gilbert Taylor
About the Author
Simon Ings's most recent novel is The Weight of Numbers. His science features and interviews have appeared in magazines as diverse as New Scientist, Wired, and Dazed and Confused. Ings lives in London.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
"A Natural History of Seeing" is not a textbook in optics nor a 'history of science' in the usual sense. Simon Ings is not an ophthalmologist or an academic scientist. He's a writer. But he's also a superbly diligent researcher; the closest comparison would be, I think, to John McPhee, and this densely interesting book reminds me of McPhee's enormous book on the tectonic geology of North America. Ings does report on recent research into the physiology of eyes, human and non-human, but his chief concern is with the semiotics (forgive me that ugly word just once, please) of vision, that is, the role sight plays in intelligence, consciousness, society, history, and evolution. His style is free-ranging, discursive, parenthetical... and highly amusing. Hence the reference to Isaak Walton, though Montaigne might also come to mind. I'd hate to have to use this book as a study trot for an exam, but I haven't read a science-centered essay with such pleasure in a long time.
Although tracing the evolution of the eye - meaning inevitably the human eye - is not Ing's chief purpose, his chapters on evolution will be the most provocative for many readers. Provocative of thought, I hope, rather than emotion. Most readers are aware that the 'perfection' of the eye has been wielded as evidence of "Intelligent Design". How could such a complex organ have evolved by random tiny increments, the argument goes, and what selective advantage would a half-finished eye afford? Darwin himself contributed to this fracas by murmuring in his writings that the evolution of the eye presented him with headaches.... Read more ›
Although tracing the evolution of the eye - meaning inevitably the human eye - is not Ing's chief purpose, his chapters on evolution will be the most provocative for many readers. Provocative of thought, I hope, rather than emotion. Most readers are aware that the 'perfection' of the eye has been wielded as evidence of "Intelligent Design". How could such a complex organ have evolved by random tiny increments, the argument goes, and what selective advantage would a half-finished eye afford? Darwin himself contributed to this fracas by murmuring in his writings that the evolution of the eye presented him with headaches.... Read more ›
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
An enjoyable readable romp around the subject of eyes and vision. It's a serious science book (fully referenced) that reads like a fun article. The passion and the excitement the author has for his subject is clear, which means we get to effortlessly learn about this fascinating subject as we bounce around from insect eyes to octopus eyes to color perception and the Mars Pathfinder. The `natural' in the title correctly foreshadows the ecological and biological slant (not much for computational or constructionist fans here), and the `history' part is also covered in a depth not seen in textbooks (that must cover what is known not how we got here).
Highly recommended for general readers interested in how they (and the rest of the world) get to see letters on pages, as well as for graduate psychology students like me looking to broaden/deepen their sensation/perception knowledge.
Highly recommended for general readers interested in how they (and the rest of the world) get to see letters on pages, as well as for graduate psychology students like me looking to broaden/deepen their sensation/perception knowledge.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By J. J. SELL
Format:Hardcover
As a biology student, I read a lot of science books. While not quite as technical as some, this book is delightfully entertaining, informative, and addicting. I couldn't put it down.
It's well-written, clear and easy reading for a non-scientist, and yet still intriguing for the more science-minded. Technical discussions of the mechanisms, evolution, and development of vision are well-explained. Entertaining optical illusions are presented, along with underlying theory. There are also many fascinating factoids about the vision of many different species of animals.
I'm confused by the earlier reviewer's complaint that notes permeated the text. In my copy (first American edition) the notes are, in fact, lumped into an appendix in the back. They certainly don't clutter the reading.
It has been a while since I was so enamored with a science book, and I highly recommend this to anyone remotely interested in the subject of vision.
It's well-written, clear and easy reading for a non-scientist, and yet still intriguing for the more science-minded. Technical discussions of the mechanisms, evolution, and development of vision are well-explained. Entertaining optical illusions are presented, along with underlying theory. There are also many fascinating factoids about the vision of many different species of animals.
I'm confused by the earlier reviewer's complaint that notes permeated the text. In my copy (first American edition) the notes are, in fact, lumped into an appendix in the back. They certainly don't clutter the reading.
It has been a while since I was so enamored with a science book, and I highly recommend this to anyone remotely interested in the subject of vision.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A NATURAL HISTORY OF SEEING is just that, traversing precepts, concepts and anatomy of the eye as figured out through time. And it's packed with information: not pages and pages of useless anatomy, but quick-look anatomical diagrams that anyone can remember, optical illusions that prove the discussed items, and other nice surprises, including an interesting couple photos of Margaret Thatcher and a few pages of color plates. Highly recommended... - lc
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you have in depth knowledge of the subject you might still enjoy the authors method of presentation.
My purpose in reading was the start of a many book journey. The expectation being it would allow for a cursory knowledge to better appreciate the other books.
My intent was to give a balanced impression, from many books, to respond to a friend's concern for her young child's eye development.
For this reader the book is personal, useful, entertaining as well as informative. The author is gifted in presentation.
It is a good starting point, as are many books, that open new areas of one's horizon.
At least one reviewer read the earlier printing. The later printing has all reference material at the end of the book.
My purpose in reading was the start of a many book journey. The expectation being it would allow for a cursory knowledge to better appreciate the other books.
My intent was to give a balanced impression, from many books, to respond to a friend's concern for her young child's eye development.
For this reader the book is personal, useful, entertaining as well as informative. The author is gifted in presentation.
It is a good starting point, as are many books, that open new areas of one's horizon.
At least one reviewer read the earlier printing. The later printing has all reference material at the end of the book.
10 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Distraction 1/5,instruction 3/5,inspiration 1/5. The author could not discard any of his 3X5 cards. The names,dates,references imbedded in the text make for slow reading. Another example of the nonfiction book as a flawed model,most could be ten page articles. There are some good illustrations(ectopic eyes on the knees of flies) and some interesting observations(human babies responding to light in the womb). Perhaps the hundreds of short biographical notes could be added in an appendix. The reader has to work hard to find the "intriguing nuggets" promised on the cover. Two chapters discuss color-vision, a difficult topic, with only partial success. The genetics seems clear,the chemistry fairly well-defined,the physiology less accessible.
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