The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat cover art

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

a revealing exploration of the mysteries of the human mind

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £9.33

Buy Now for £9.33

About this listen

A classic work of psychology, this international bestseller provides a groundbreaking insight into the human mind. With an introduction by Will Self, read by Oliver Sacks.

If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a leg or an eye; but if he has lost a self – himself – he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it.

In this extraordinary book, Dr. Oliver Sacks recounts the stories of patients struggling to adapt to often bizarre worlds of neurological disorder. Here are people who can no longer recognize everyday objects or those they love; who are stricken with violent tics or shout involuntary obscenities, and yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. If inconceivably strange, these brilliant tales illuminate what it means to be human.

A provocative exploration of the mysteries of the human mind, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is a million-copy bestseller by the twentieth century's greatest neurologist.

 Brain & Nervous System Essays Mental Health Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Physical Illness & Disease Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Nonfiction Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Health Human Brain

Critic reviews

A gripping journey into the recesses of the human mind
Oliver Sacks has become the world's best-known neurologist. His case studies of broken minds offer brilliant insight into the mysteries of consciousness
Populated by a cast as strange as that of the most fantastic fiction . . . Dr Sacks shows the awesome powers of our mind and just how delicately balanced they have to be
Dr. Sacks's most absorbing book . . . His tales are so compelling [because] many of them serve as eerie metaphors not only for the condition of modern medicine but of modern man
This book is for everybody who has felt from time to time that certain twinge of self-identity and sensed how easily, at any moment, one might lose it
A decidedly original approach . . . In addition to possessing the technical skills of a twentieth-century doctor, [Sacks] sees the human condition like a philosopher-poet. The resultant mixture is insightful, compassionate and moving . . . he recounts these histories with the lucidity and power of a gifted short-story writer . . . a masterpiece of clinical writing
All stars
Most relevant
the narration is a but too monotone to remain engaged over long periods, but If broken up it is a great listen!

Good book, slightly let down by the narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very good listen, really enjoyed the different story elements and how they fed into the wider narrative.

Very interesting and inciteful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The book presents very interesting cases with good insights of o some neurological disorders in order to understand better our functions, the "not like us" people and, ultimately, ourselves.
The author use a little bit advanced English. So if you are rookie in English he will loose you sometimes.
The narrator however, goes too far with British accent and cadency. Maybe my mediocre English but my perception is of a too relaxed, colloquial speech.

Interesting book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
a wonderful collection of case studies that not only gives insight to the workings of human mind but sensitizes the listener to the life, problems and perspectives of the differently abled

Amazing, heart-warming and strange

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book was an amazing listen - the stories were interesting and different from anything I've read before. Sacks' accounts of his different patients are written so you can really imagine the patients there with you. It's really eye-opening about the world of neurological disorders and the methods that doctors can use to try and diagnose and treat the conditions. Definitely worth listening, and brilliant value on audible!

Fantastic listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews