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The Neck: A Natural and Cultural History
A 300-million-year tour of the prominent role of the neck in animal evolution and human culture.
Humans give a lot of attention to the neck. We decorate it with jewelry and ties, kiss it passionately, and use it to express ourselves in word and song. Yet, at the neck, people have also shackled their prisoners, executed their opponents, and slain their victims. Beyond the drama of human culture, animals have evolved their necks into a staggering variety of shapes and uses vital to their lifestyles. The Neck delves into evolutionary time to solve a living paradox—why is our neck so central to our survival and culture, but so vulnerable to injury and disease?
Biologist Kent Dunlap shows how the neck's vulnerability is not simply an unfortunate quirk of evolution. Its weaknesses are intimately connected to the vessels, pipes, and glands that make it so vital to existence. Fun and far-reaching, The Neck explores the diversity of forms and functions of the neck in humans and other animals and shows how this small anatomical transition zone has been a locus of incredible evolutionary and cultural creativity.
Humans give a lot of attention to the neck. We decorate it with jewelry and ties, kiss it passionately, and use it to express ourselves in word and song. Yet, at the neck, people have also shackled their prisoners, executed their opponents, and slain their victims. Beyond the drama of human culture, animals have evolved their necks into a staggering variety of shapes and uses vital to their lifestyles. The Neck delves into evolutionary time to solve a living paradox—why is our neck so central to our survival and culture, but so vulnerable to injury and disease?
Biologist Kent Dunlap shows how the neck's vulnerability is not simply an unfortunate quirk of evolution. Its weaknesses are intimately connected to the vessels, pipes, and glands that make it so vital to existence. Fun and far-reaching, The Neck explores the diversity of forms and functions of the neck in humans and other animals and shows how this small anatomical transition zone has been a locus of incredible evolutionary and cultural creativity.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published February 11, 2025
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143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 16, 2025
Dunlap takes a good long look at the neck of humans and the animal kingdom. It's both the "natural" and the "cultural" and just like anything you sit and ponder and research about for an extensive amount of time, the more you realize there's so much to learn.
The book shows the cutaway of the neck from it's elements like the trachea and esophagus to the spine and thyroid. The book talks about neck fighting in giraffes. The book talks about neckties, cravats, scarves, and neck coils in a specific culture. The book talks about blue collar and redneck. The book talks about St. Blaise and the blessing of the throats. The book talks about the nonexistent necks of fish and the flaps of a specific reptile around its neck. Literally anything about the subject of the neck. Ironically within 24 hours I had read in two separate books (this one and You'll Leave This World With Your Butt Sewn Shut: And Other Little-Known Secrets, Shocking Facts, and Amusing Trivia about Death and Dying about the 1929 death of Isadora Duncan, a dancer whose neck scarf got wrapped up in the wheels of a motor vehicle and killed her due to strangulation.
I return to the thought often that there are books about ANYTHING a person could think of to write about and I value the introspection and research of anyone willing to dive deep into a subject. And then when you slap a fantastic cover to match the topic, it's a forgone conclusion that I'll read it. I don't know what I don't know.
The book shows the cutaway of the neck from it's elements like the trachea and esophagus to the spine and thyroid. The book talks about neck fighting in giraffes. The book talks about neckties, cravats, scarves, and neck coils in a specific culture. The book talks about blue collar and redneck. The book talks about St. Blaise and the blessing of the throats. The book talks about the nonexistent necks of fish and the flaps of a specific reptile around its neck. Literally anything about the subject of the neck. Ironically within 24 hours I had read in two separate books (this one and You'll Leave This World With Your Butt Sewn Shut: And Other Little-Known Secrets, Shocking Facts, and Amusing Trivia about Death and Dying about the 1929 death of Isadora Duncan, a dancer whose neck scarf got wrapped up in the wheels of a motor vehicle and killed her due to strangulation.
I return to the thought often that there are books about ANYTHING a person could think of to write about and I value the introspection and research of anyone willing to dive deep into a subject. And then when you slap a fantastic cover to match the topic, it's a forgone conclusion that I'll read it. I don't know what I don't know.
June 8, 2025
An expert excited about their topic - the best! This book included a huge array of new.to.me facts from the evolution of the neck to the long trachea of some birds to the history of the necktie, and so many more. All written with wit and organization.
I hear about it on the Nature email.
I hear about it on the Nature email.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews