How to Read a Person Like a Book (Mass Market Paperback)

by Gerard Nierenberg (Author) "An airport is an excellent spot for viewing the entire human emotional spectrum..." (more)
Key Phrases: preening gestures, reading gestures, individual gestures, New York, United States, Charles Darwin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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 the Audio Cassette edition.

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 the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (November 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671735578
• ISBN-13: 978-0671735579
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,910 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 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 (TOP 100 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.

6 of 6 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 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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Basic, June 13, 2002

By	S. Vohra "coolsaru" (Longmont, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

This is a very good book for beginners on how to understand body language ... but the division of the chapters, and some examples make this book very basic.
very easy and fast to read