Finger

by Angus Trumble

FROM THE AUTHOR OF A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SMILE , A COMPLETE INDEX OF THE DIGIT

In this collision between art and science, history and pop culture, the acclaimed art historian Angus Trumble examines the finger from every possible angle. His inquiries into its representation in art take us from Buddhist statues in Kyoto to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, from cave art to Picassoâ€s Guernica , from Van Dyckâ€s and Rubensâ€s winning ways with gloves to the longstanding French taste for tapering digits. But Trumble also asks intriguing questions about the finger in How do fingers work, and why do most of us have five on each hand? Why do we bite our nails?

This witty, odd, and fascinating book is filled with diverse anecdotes about the silent language of gesture, the game of love, the spinning of balls, superstitions relating to the severed fingers of thieves, and systems of computation that were used on wharves and in shops, markets, granaries, and warehouses throughout the ancient Roman world. Side by side with historical discussions of rings and gloves and nail polish are meditations on the fingerâ€s essential role in writing, speech, sports, crime, law, sex, worhsip, memory, scratching politely at eighteenth-century French doors (instead of crudely knocking), or merely satisfying an itch—and, of course, in the eponymous show of contempt.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2010

Reviews

[Gretchen Rubin]

You'd think, "A whole book about the finger?" and I finished this book thinking, "I need to learn more about the finger!"

[Kimberly Karalius · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of interesting information, but very dryly delivered.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agreeing with a previous reviewer that there’s a lot of interesting info but it can be very dry. Sometimes his attempts at humor come off as a little too pretentious in themselves (I found the passage about watching the woman parallel park mildly insufferable) but to each their own. Also, the remark about a “distinguished alumnus of Yale College” finding a certain burlesque image exciting was pretty unnecessary and weird.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Thu · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

[Lillian Carl]

A scientific and artistic study of, well, the finger. I just love this sort of quirky book, one which, like so many others, I saved from the remainder table. It's written with great dash and style and sense of rhythm, with way too many delightful passages to quote here. I'll mention one:

"While the metacarpals [bones in the hand] are the anatomical basement story of the fingers, and the first of them is considerably more than that---in so many ways the Napoleon of the family, far shorter, more versatile, and inventively mobile than its siblings---it should not be forgotten that the bases of the remaining four metacarpals do more than merely sit meekly against the relevant carpals, looking chic."

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a surprising and entertaining little volume this turned out to be. This is the most complete survey of a body part that I could possibly imagine. Four fingers and an opposing thumb have not only impacted our species but also helped create all of our individual cultures. We learn in detail how they work and how we use them to gesture, communicate, create art and music and make love and war. Writing, sport, crime and memory as well as the importance of scratching are all disclosed and yes, he covers the classic gesture of "giving the finger” throughout history; a wonderful read full of laughs and fascinating anecdotes.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book would explore the historical uses of the finger/hand in art, since it is written by an art historian. And while it does do this, the art becomes tangential to a thorough - and I mean thorough! - exploration of everything hand-oriented, from the musculature to why we point with the index finger to gloves to painted fingernails....and more! If that sounds interesting, this book is for you.

[Claire Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully discursive - I would love to sit next to Trumble at a dinner party. His rambling discourse is highly researched and pleasant, but there is little narrative thread tying his essays together (even within the individual essay itself). But his wit and charm make up for it - perhaps his panache is enough to tie it together?

[Debora Felton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delectable bit of writing exploring the uses and usefulness of our hands. The author colorfully expounds upon the role our hands play in the masterwork of defining us as human. Lovely and lively! Also, a quick read.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like these kinds of books, you will like this one. But it's not one of the better ones in the genre.