The Human Face (Hardcover)

~ DK Publishing (Author), John Cleese (Author), (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"The face you see in the mirror had its beginnings in the primeval slime at the bottom of the sea," begins this large-format, picture-laden study The Human Face, by psychologist, biologist and sometime acting coach and director Brian Bates, with actor John Cleese. As early as "nine minutes after being born... we prefer to gaze at faces," they report. Noting that the face is "an identity tag," they explore "how we became so dependent on our visual senses, and how that helped to shape the evolution of our features." Moving from issues of beauty to "a realm of hype and superhype: the phenomenon of fame," they question why certain faces are able to convince us, mesmerize us and sell us products. Based on a BBC series, this engaging, thoughtful and sometimes funny treatment will bring smiles to many faces.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

...an unusual look at the vast sweep of humanity--from the neck up. -- Men's Journal

It gives a whole new meaning to the term face value. -- Time Out New York

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1 edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789478366
• ISBN-13: 978-0789478368
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #612,925 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Face Fascination, August 15, 2001

By	Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This book tells the story of why we are drawn to faces thirty minutes after being born, when even then our eyes can barely focus. This inborn fascination with faces continues as we grow up and become fascinated with the face of the one we love.

Brian Bates brings his experience in psychology and biology to this beautifully bound collection. He has taught imagination techniques for actors, including face and mask work and has directed plays at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

This book is a journey of self-discovery. It explores the social and psychological aspects of the face. It is sometimes said, you never forget a face, but can forget a name. That has often been true for me. Why is it that I can remember a face so well?

We all have seven universally recognized facial expression: anger, fear, happiness, sadness, disgust, surprise and contempt. But we can make up to 7,000 discrete expressions. This work explores beauty in the eye of the beholder versus a universal agreement on which faces are beautiful. The area of sexual attraction and the naked truth behind facial features is interesting for many reasons.

On a bright yellow page the index lists origins, identity, expressions, beauty, vanity and fame. The pages are visually stunning. With colored pages and black writing contrasting with white pages and pictures. The pictures of two individuals from birth to middle age showed how we change over time.

I was intrigued by the "Expressions" chapter. Lady Diana's Eyes told the tale of her life as she moved from innocence to unhappiness. Did you know that the natural smile and the "masking/fake smile" uses different muscles to produce a similar effect. I tried this and it is an interesting experiment. The natural smile seems to use more muscles and includes my eyes feeling more brightened. When I try to produce a fake smile, I feel my face is in fact not quite as alive.

Then, onto what really matters: Kissing. ;~} A few pages on that and suddenly you turn the page and start to yawn...literally. Just the picture of a yawn is contagious. Why? I yawn again and find it difficult to look at the picture and not keep yawning! After yawning three times, I turn the page!

The chapter on beauty includes many famous faces. Julia Roberts, Calista Flockhart, Sophia Loren...they can be found here smiling. This chapter also shows that people who are beautiful are not always happier than everyone else. There are some very revealing pictures of a woman, before and after plastic surgery!

Vanity is a revealing chapter with a beautiful painting of the Greek myth of Narcissus, where a young man was so enamored with his own face, he falls in love with his own reflection.

By the time you reach the last pages, you will know an incredible amount about the human face. A fashionable collection of human faces, to help you understand why we are sometimes so intrigued by the faces of the famous, or of those around us.

Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!

~The Rebecca Review

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Look at faces in a new way, July 2, 2001

By	m.l. pettit (wisconsin) - See all my reviews

"The Human Face" is filled with full-size color photographs of faces from cultures around the world, of every age, of every emotion. Photos of faces illustrate chapters on Origins, Identity, Expressions, Beauty, Vanity, and Fame. This book stresses how important "faces" are to our lives -- the first thing a human infant responds to is a face. Findings in science and cultural studies are cited, still the book's language is easy-to-read and breezy. Fascinating. Wish the information was more in depth. Still worth it. You may not look at the people you know in the same way.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Someone Who Should Know, February 11, 2002

By	S. Tracey (Upland, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow...What an awesome book! As an orthodontist, I found it incredibly interesting. Needless to say, I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the human facination with the face. Also, be sure to check out the video/DVD that was produced after the book. Great fun with John Cleese and Elizabeth Hurley, with additional material. Especially fascinating- the section on facial beauty with Dr. Stephen Marquardt.