Author Description

Why do dogs wag their tails and cats purr? Why do we get embarrassed, and why does embarrassment make us blush? Why do we frown when we're disappointed? These any many other questions about the emotional life of humans and animals are answered in this remarkable book.The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals was an immediate best-seller when it was first published in 1872 and still provides the point of departure for research into emotion and facial expression. In his study of infants and children (including delightful observations of his own baby's smiles and pouts), of the insane, of painting and sculpture, of cats and dogs and monkeys, and of the ways that people in different cultures express their feelings, Darwin's insights have not been surpassed by modern science. This definitive edition contains a substantial new Introduction and Afterword by Paul Ekman. Ekman also provides commentaries that use the latest scientific knowledge to elaborate, support, and occasionally challenge Darwin's study. When it originally appeared, this was the first scientific book to contain photographic reproductions. For this edition, Ekman has returned to Darwin's original notes in order to produce, for the first time, a corrected, authoritative text illustrated by drawings and photographs positioned exactly as its author intended.The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals reminds us that, in addition to being the nineteenth century's most influential thinker, Darwin was also a writer of consummate skill. Beautifully and profusely illustrated, and filled with insights that immediately ring true, this new edition promises to delight and enthrall a new generation of readers.