This is the first book on this subject to be published in the English language for more than fifty years. It is a survey and anthology of the major developments, styles, and trends in anatomical illustration through more than 700 years. Anatomy was a preoccupation of renaissance scholars and artists in the universities and academies of Europe. By the mid 1500s sophisticated anatomy books were widely distributed. It was primarily the illustrations rather than the text that spread information on this descriptive science. This bookshows how anatomists and their collaborating artists presented the important aspects of their subjects to doctors, medical students, and others, coincidentally revealing their attitude to the living and the dead human body. A narrative history of the context in which these illustrations wereproduced is supplemented by a precise consideration of the anatomy shown in each plate reproduced. The book will appeal to anyone with an academic interest in anatomy, illustrative art, or figure drawing. It is a record of an important aspect of the development of modern medicine and surgery. It is lavishly illustrated and will be a handsome production with a slip case, thus it should have amarket amongst collectors of fine art and members of the medical profession.

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J.D.W. Tomlinson's profile page

J. D. W. Tomlinson, both at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

'an informative commentary on a fine visual panorama of anatomical illustrations from the Middle Ages to the present day'Martin Kemp, University of St Andrews, Medical History, 1993, Vol. 37, No. 1

'The context of anatomical illustration is generously defined and includes details about medical education, anatomical ideas and dissection practices, biographies, and the technical aspects of producing illustrated books ... its physical quality is generally superb. It comes in a slipcase, thebinding is a dignified maroon, the gold lettering on the spine is in characteristic OUP style, and the illustrations themselves are a delight. The volume is a labour of love; it is the product of honest toil and celebrates the work of anatomists, artists and printers. In so doing, it acknowledgesthe importance of the material aspects of the production of medical images, an area that is too often ignored. The authors' admiration is open and unaffected. They have produced a useful compendium, a valuable source book, a rich resource for others.'Ludmilla Jordanova, University of Essex, Art History, Volume 15, Number 4, December 1992

'Although The Fabric of the Body does not itself provide a rich historical interpretation of anatomical illustration, it offers a valuable starting point for others. It contains an enormous array of important and beautiful medical images that cannot fail to interest anyone who is attuned tothe complex visual dimensions of medical knowledge and medical practice.' British Medical Journal

'It is truly worth reading, and even holding it in your hands is a pleasurable experience. This anthology of medical illustrations, annotated in a scholarly manner, is more suited for browsing than is systematic reading. I would, however, have no reservations in recommending it or using it forone of those mini-courses on humanism in medicine that are becoming more and more popular nationwide. Above all, it is an ideal graduation gift for youngsters of medical attainment and all those devotees of Aesculapius who enjoy visual arts as applied to medicine and biology.'Ivan Damjanov, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Modern Pathology

'This book will appeal to anatomists, physicians and surgeons, as well as those considering the interrelationships between art and anatomy. It will also appeal to anyone who is interested in the dissemination of scientific information and the key role that detailed illustrated books haveplayed through history.'MAA News, April 1992