Anatomical Oddities

I have to say, this book was a lot of fun. I work in the medical field and I had to take a lot of A&P. Some of these odd places were familiar and some were new! The illustrations were on point and made the whole reading experience a lot more enjoyable. This is definitely a must read for anyone in the medical field and I hope there will be more anatomical oddities coming to us in the future!

Dr. Alice Roberts brings her artistic talents and her deep knowledge of science and medicine to her illustrated book Anatomical Anomalies.

I found this volume to be interesting both because of my interest in human anatomy—I have worked in healthcare in a variety of roles—and my desire for continued learning.

This book presented me with new ways to remember information about the body structures described as well as intriguing facts about each featured-and perhaps less well known-anatomical part.

If you have an interest in medicine or the human anatomy, this is a book for you!

As a biology major I truly enjoyed this deep dive into the meaning behind obscure anatomical parts. The amount of research that went into this is amazing, as it not only covered the latinized meaning of the systems, organs, etc. it also included any history change to the term as scientific discovered more behind the hidden world of the human body.

The illustrations were beautiful and clever, including imagery that related to the entomology of the anatomical name. This book was innovative, educational, and a super fun read for me.

I give it 4.5 stars but rounding up to 5

Interesting book with amazing illustrations that explain how the body parts got their names. I learned a ton and was fascinated by the drawings. Will be interested to see how it translates into the different applications for ebooks….may not be suitable for small devices.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

I adore books like this.

As someone who loved taking Anatomy and Physiology in college, I found it helpful to understand the origin of the various anatomical and physiological terminology. The etymology of the terms—the study of the origin of words—was incredibly useful because it helped me understand and, most importantly for any exams, remember those words.

Of course, as someone who loves medical history, any book that delves into the discussion of the various nooks and crannies of the human body is right up my alley. In the book, each term is illuminated by the author’s own illustrations with a complete discussion of the term’s etymology and history of discovery.

For the most part, the book is a sober look at anatomical terms and history but, occasionally, the author sneaks in a bit of snark, such as the following:

“I have an impression of early anatomists, almost exclusively men, poring over the intricate structures of the human body and becoming quite excited when they found anything that reminded them of a bit of female anatomy. It’s extraordinary how many parts of the body, apart from the breasts themselves, are named after breasts and nipples.” This quote, which made me laugh out loud, was in reference to the mammillary bodies that are situated in the brain—far away from what we think of as female accoutrements.

I would recommend Anatomical Oddities: The Otherworldly Realms Hidden within Our Bodies to anyone taking a college level course in anatomy. It may not be a book that you’d want to read from cover to cover, although I did and enjoyed doing so, but, as you learn about each anatomical oddity, check out what this book has to offer and I’m sure you’ll appreciate it.

Great crossover for fans of both linguistics and anatomy! I really appreciated that each topic stood alone, so that you can open it up whenever and read a few. It is written at a higher level than I expected though — it takes some prior anatomy knowledge to follow. Not really written as a starting point. That said, it would make a very cute and informative coffee table book if you have a science background! Very well-written and enjoyable overall.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC!

Fascinating book!
I really enjoyed finding how names for various body parts came to be.
I read parts of this with a high school student and we agreed we were able to retain names after learning history and meaning far better than other methods.
Unique and fun illustrations, reminded me of an antique medical students sketchbook.
This would be a great book for anyone that loves language, origin of words, and anatomy.
Easy to read a page at a time and pick up where you left off.

Anatomical Oddities was a fascinating look at some of the history and names behind both obscure and well-known features found within the human body. The commentary and the art make for a unique tour through the anatomical landscape. As someone who taught Anatomy for over six years, the information was on point, and learning the meaning behind the words we use to describe the many features of our internal organs was one of the best aspects of this book.

Alice Roberts has a great writing voice and makes a subject that could easily fall into textbook territory engaging to read for both the casual enthusiast and someone who has studied this topic before. If only all of our anatomy educational materials could be as fun and interesting as this book!

What a fun, original and fascinating look into the archaeology of anatomy. With funny illustrations and no apparent order, the author describes those little and not so little parts of the body that make us human. The style is conversational and funny, making this an approachable, short read. This may not help you find your appendix, but it will show you curious organs, muscles and bones that I had no idea existed. There is also great emphasis on where the names came from (spoiler alert, Greek and Latin) and how sometimes they were fundamentally changed so that they are misleading. I especially loved how the author gives practical details to find the obscure body parts that she discusses, whenever possible, as well as fun anecdotes that explain their function better than a boring text. This is a great way to learn about the human body, the history of anatomy and even random trivia that will make you seem smarter. Whether your dura mater will thank you, who knows.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#The Experiment!

Each page of this humorous and fact-filled book is dedicated to one interestingly-named part of the human body. While I enjoy learning the history of anatomy, this book opened my eye to just how intricately detailed and also fragile the human body is.

I enjoyed how subjects link back to each other throughout the book, relating nearby pieces to previously-discussed oddities.

I enjoyed the use of unique artwork instead of generic anatomy diagrams to show the oddities themselves and where in the body they are located.

While only 128 pages long, I needed to take this in short doses, otherwise the terminologies and etymologies would overwhelm my attention span. Because this book is so detailed! Rightly so for the plentiful minutiae included. I love how this is a book about the word origins of fine-detail anatomy full of fascinating information!

I absolutely LOVE books like these where there are a collection of weird facts that I may or may not know, and Anatomical Oddities was no exception! Such an interesting read and definitely worth it.

The art in this book was so freaking cool! I wish I had more of an understanding of anatomy though cause some of the words went right over my head. The explanations were fun and interesting. I learned quite a bit about the human body that I didn’t know before. Very cool read and highly recommend.

Thank you, Alice Roberts and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

The pictures and all the information on the strange and wonderful body parts inside of us were awesome! This book is, in my opinion, great for middlegrade and up: young adults and older. The history and word play in this book are absolutely wonderful, and I just pive to learn, so this book is right up my alley. It's not too graphic or too gross. it's just right, in my opinion.

It certainly earned its stars. Thank you again for allowing me to read this book, I certainly enjoyed reading and learning about the strange yet interesting things about our bodies.

Anatomical Oddities: The Otherworldly Realms Hidden within Our Bodies by Alice Roberts is currently scheduled for release on November 7 2023. Every part of the human body has a name—and story. But how familiar are you with your arachnoid mater or your Haversian canals? Anatomical Oddities explores the less-familiar realms of the body, unveiling the mysteries etched into the most outlandish landscapes hidden inside all of us: our crypts and caverns, gorges, islets, and mountains. Along the way, it dips into the history of our relationship with our physical form and the discoveries that paved the way for modern anatomy and medicine. Quirky, bizarre, and beautiful, these pages feature original artworks by Alice Roberts. The stunning, full-color illustrations lay bare the intricate details of the human body, the stories of people who unearthed its secrets, and the meanings of the words we use to describe it.

Anatomical Oddities is a fascinating read, and I am very glad that I requested it on Netgalley. I thought the page long sections on each body feature was just enough information to keep readers engaged, interested, and learning. I found the text to be accessible, with a conversational tone and sense of humor that balanced the more scientific and technical aspects of the topic. I thought the matching images were very well done, and gave context to the text. It was well written, and readers can feel the expertise and knowledge that has gone into crafting the book. The only thing I could have asked for is a bibliography or suggestions for further reading for those that would like to explore anatomy or the entomology of the related language further. I really enjoyed the entomology for the terms, and learning more about the human body, and how bizarrely wonderful it is.

If you enjoy science, especially the anatomy and physiology of our bodies, this is an interesting book for you! Those with medical background or interest may want it for their libraries, and I anticipate it will be a popular library selection as well. I especially love the subtitle: The Otherworldly Realms Hidden Within Our Bodies! The illustrations are fantastic and educational, and the odd facts and etymology details make for enjoyable reading.

*I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This is a super fun reference / coffee table type book. As a medical student, this was fun to read and skim between classes, and it was fun to see topics that I've studied already in class. This is probably most interesting to someone with some amount of science / healthcare background, but I do think it's written to be pretty accessible.