"Vintage Ramachandran, packed with ideas that are bold, irreverent, original, and ingenious. People who have never thought much about the brain will be intrigued, but so will those who, like me, have spent most of their lives thinking about the brain. It is truly a breath of fresh air."
-- David Hubel, Nobel Laureate, Harvard University, author of Eye, Brain, and Vision

"An extraordinary book by a remarkable scientist! Ramachandran is in many ways the modern Paul Broca, the great French neurologist who opened up the biological analysis of higher mental functions by studying patients with brain lesions. In a similar vein Ramachandran has used the study of patients to elucidate a range of fascinating mental functions. His insights have stimulated discussions in neuroscience over the last 25 years. Here is Ramachandran at his best; his most lucid and creative."
-- Eric Kandel, M.D., Nobel Laureate, Columbia University

"Ramachandran is a latter-day Marco Polo, journeying the silk road of science to strange and exotic Cathays of the mind. He returns laden with pehnomenological treasures...which, in his subtle and expert telling, yield more satisfying riches of scientific understanding."
-- Richard Dawkins, Oxford University, author of The Blind Watchmaker

"An unusually clever neuroscientist explains baffling cases in neurology and neurophsychiatry and concludes that brain science can now resolve many of the age-old quanderies of philosophers. A thought-provoking, wonderful read."
-- Roger Giullemin, Nobel Laureate, The Salk Institute

"Today we're going through a revolution in neuroscience. The tidal wave of new research can be overwhelming, but V.S. Ramachandran, drawing on his own pioneering work on patients, succeeds in creating a witty, elegant introduction to the mysteries and revelations to be found within our skulls."
-- Carl Zimmer, author of Soul Made Flesh