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Ein Kind entsteht: Bilddokumentation über die Entwicklung des Lebens Im Mutterleib
This completely revised edition of the beloved international classic is now entirely in color, with historic, never-before-seen photos in every chapter and an entirely new text.
213 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
28 people are currently reading
614 people want to read
About the author
Lennart Nilsson
70 books14 followersLennart Nilsson was a Swedish photographer and scientist. He was noted for his photographs of human embryos and other medical subjects.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
September 5, 2009
Pass the cheese, please.
+5 stars for the pictures in utero. Lennart Nilsson with a camera is amazing.
+2 stars for the cheesy photographs of adult humans who obviously aren't blastocysts, embryos or fetuses. Cripes, even the photograph of the recently delivered placenta was more endearing than the 80's couple kissing on the dance floor of some eurotrash club during the conception chapter.
+2 stars for the "writing" in the book. Lame and outdated. Several parts made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.
My copy was published in 1990 and if I ignore the stupid writing and just look at the pictures, this one is definitely a keeper. I could see it coming in handy several years down the road because the pictures of teeny little humans in the womb are just the sort of things that could come in handy when my daughter is old enough to learn about the birds and the bees.
Plus, perhaps the graphic close-ups of vaginal deliveries may encourage my little girl not to give it up to the first boy who comes sniffing around the property. :p
+5 stars for the pictures in utero. Lennart Nilsson with a camera is amazing.
+2 stars for the cheesy photographs of adult humans who obviously aren't blastocysts, embryos or fetuses. Cripes, even the photograph of the recently delivered placenta was more endearing than the 80's couple kissing on the dance floor of some eurotrash club during the conception chapter.
+2 stars for the "writing" in the book. Lame and outdated. Several parts made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.
My copy was published in 1990 and if I ignore the stupid writing and just look at the pictures, this one is definitely a keeper. I could see it coming in handy several years down the road because the pictures of teeny little humans in the womb are just the sort of things that could come in handy when my daughter is old enough to learn about the birds and the bees.
Plus, perhaps the graphic close-ups of vaginal deliveries may encourage my little girl not to give it up to the first boy who comes sniffing around the property. :p
March 2, 2022
I find this book extremely macabre.
First of all, let me say that I am pro-choice.
However, the majority of the photography in this book is aborted fetuses, especially the most famous pictures in the book as well as the one on the cover.
Once you look at them and see, it’s obvious that they are taken and posed and lit so as to be in a lifelike manner of posture. Nilsson acknowledges the source of the material and his techniques, so it’s not some conspiracy theory.
I just wish the book would make it more clear and have some type of acknowledgment of the humanity of these fetuses. It is very exploitative, somehow, to not make it known what people are actually looking at.
Yes, there is one page with pictures taken with a scope, but they are obvious as to which ones those are - they are the rounded ones with red everywhere and no clear images. The majority of images in this book - all of the clear, well lit images that everyone knows and loves - are of an aborted fetus, and it should be made very clear in this book, for ethical reasons.
As I said, I am pro-choice, because women should always have bodily autonomy; however, I looked at this book so much over the years, before I found out most of its subjects were not alive, that now it just feels very ghoulish to think of the book knowing that most people are not aware of its true origins.
First of all, let me say that I am pro-choice.
However, the majority of the photography in this book is aborted fetuses, especially the most famous pictures in the book as well as the one on the cover.
Once you look at them and see, it’s obvious that they are taken and posed and lit so as to be in a lifelike manner of posture. Nilsson acknowledges the source of the material and his techniques, so it’s not some conspiracy theory.
I just wish the book would make it more clear and have some type of acknowledgment of the humanity of these fetuses. It is very exploitative, somehow, to not make it known what people are actually looking at.
Yes, there is one page with pictures taken with a scope, but they are obvious as to which ones those are - they are the rounded ones with red everywhere and no clear images. The majority of images in this book - all of the clear, well lit images that everyone knows and loves - are of an aborted fetus, and it should be made very clear in this book, for ethical reasons.
As I said, I am pro-choice, because women should always have bodily autonomy; however, I looked at this book so much over the years, before I found out most of its subjects were not alive, that now it just feels very ghoulish to think of the book knowing that most people are not aware of its true origins.
December 28, 2017
The first edition of this volume came out in 1965 and though I was somehow expecting it to be not quite as explanatory as a volume published in the last 10 years, I found it quite disappointing.
The pictures were amazing, the entire journey of the cell becoming an actual human being was fascinating, but the pictures devoted to the parents were just unbearable.
The captions of the single pictures were nice, but then again the style of writing was too simple, not illustrative simple, but elementary school simple, boring and superficial.
The pictures were amazing, the entire journey of the cell becoming an actual human being was fascinating, but the pictures devoted to the parents were just unbearable.
The captions of the single pictures were nice, but then again the style of writing was too simple, not illustrative simple, but elementary school simple, boring and superficial.
November 30, 2020
Prachtige foto's van Lennart Nilsson! De foto's van Linda Forsell zijn iets minder interessant en de tekst is (ondanks de herziening) gedateerd.
August 5, 2011
A story of this book: An incredibly bright, fascinating, and inspiring 19-year-old coworker (when i was serving) gave this book to me when I was pregnant with my first. She had bought it at a garage sale or used book store, and thought I should have it. One of my favorite gifts ever! Though I've not read it in totality, I have paged through it many times, looking at the exquisite pictures, reading the captions, and occasionally reading a section or two. But, the best thing about this book (and why I gave it 5 stars) is that now that I'm pregnant with my second, I "read" it with my two-year-old, and we talk about the baby in Mama's belly. We identify the fetuses' feet and ears, and knees. One picture of a fetus' head depicts clear, red fissures between the skull plates, and he always points to it, and says "baseball!" We look at the babies coming out of their mamas and talk about how his little brother is going to do that soon. Of particular interest to him is the pictures of babies nursing. He is amazed, and I ask him if he remembers nursing, to which he always replies "aye" (which means "yes"), but I know he doesn't. He is just too spellbound by the pictures and their relation to my body to recall what he so recently did.
Here is an interesting column about this book: http://www.literarymama.com/columns/p...
Here is an interesting column about this book: http://www.literarymama.com/columns/p...
October 20, 2015
OMG!! When you read a book many, many years ago waiting for your precious one to arrive (sadly I lost that precious Angel when I was five months pregnant) and then you see it as a recommendation on goodreads reminding you that you read it. I lost a lifetime of everything we owned so I no longer have this book, however I'm so happy it was listed on my home page. This book is incredible, beautiful, stunning, miraculous, leaves you in awe. Wow, being taken back to that time just by seeing this is heartbreaking because of my loss which you never ever get over and also because how extraordinary this book is. *in tears*
January 11, 2018
I bought this edition from Finland, when I was there for studies, because I thought it was a whole other book. But it was a different edition of the english version I already owned.
Still, a bit different, so I am grateful I bought it!!!
What an AMAZING photographer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The photos are fascinating!
It follows the whole journey of a human being, with photos and text.
Some photos are a tiny bit disturbing but it's life!
Great great great piece of art!!!
Still, a bit different, so I am grateful I bought it!!!
What an AMAZING photographer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The photos are fascinating!
It follows the whole journey of a human being, with photos and text.
Some photos are a tiny bit disturbing but it's life!
Great great great piece of art!!!
Want to read
October 7, 2015এই বই খুব শীঘ্রই পড়বো।
নির্ঝর রুথ ঘোষের পোস্ট!
নির্ঝর রুথ ঘোষের পোস্ট!
August 18, 2024
This book was written decades ago, but it's amazing how well it's written for today. What is also incredible is seeing the beauty of Gods creation and the formation of a child in the womb, starting from conception. Nilsson does a fantastic job capturing these photographs to bring life to life!
August 23, 2017
Klassieker die mijn nachtkastje maandenlang vergezelde.
October 14, 2012
I love this book! I read my mom's copy, which has been around since before I can remember. I've looked into it before to see the pictures, but now I've actually sat down and read through it. (And looked at the pictures!)
This particular version is the "Completely Revised Edition," but I don't know how up-to-date it is. The subtitle on the bottom of the cover says: "Dramatic Photographs of Life Before Birth." (There are also some photographs of the actual birth and right after the birth.) The book offers a light version of the biology behind the conception, growth and birth of a baby and also goes into things like prenatal care, delivery and recovery for the mother.
Still, though the text was interesting--not too full of jargon and not too dumbed down--the pictures are the best part. They document the growth of the baby from conception through to the end in chronological order, showing close-ups of different parts in various stages (ears, eyes, hands and feet, and so on). It's amazing how we grow from tiny cells.
This particular version is the "Completely Revised Edition," but I don't know how up-to-date it is. The subtitle on the bottom of the cover says: "Dramatic Photographs of Life Before Birth." (There are also some photographs of the actual birth and right after the birth.) The book offers a light version of the biology behind the conception, growth and birth of a baby and also goes into things like prenatal care, delivery and recovery for the mother.
Still, though the text was interesting--not too full of jargon and not too dumbed down--the pictures are the best part. They document the growth of the baby from conception through to the end in chronological order, showing close-ups of different parts in various stages (ears, eyes, hands and feet, and so on). It's amazing how we grow from tiny cells.
June 4, 2017
The book describes the process of pregnancy, from conception to childbirth, by a great deal of colorful, high resolution, microscopic images. The descriptive text is kept short and simple enough for ordinary people. The book also mentions many obstetric issues such as genetic damages, fetus malformation, difficult conception, premature childbirth, etc, thus gives parents-to-be a rich resource.
The most impressive part of the book is its microscopic pictures/images. Those are clear and well-illustrated. It could tell stories of ovulation, fertilization and embryo growth very vividly and intuitively. There are several irrelevant pictures, but that's a minor shortcoming.
The most impressive part of the book is its microscopic pictures/images. Those are clear and well-illustrated. It could tell stories of ovulation, fertilization and embryo growth very vividly and intuitively. There are several irrelevant pictures, but that's a minor shortcoming.
August 20, 2010
So at first I was just IN AWE at the amazing pictures that are actually able to be captured in utero! That part was amazing!! As for the VERY UP CLOSE and personal vaginal shots of delivery I was NOT so impressed. Ew, ew, gross, gross, were my first reactions and I usually couldn't look at them for long, but I got used to it. I wouldn't let my husband look though. Not as detailed or informative as 'What to Expect'...
June 18, 2012
This book is like Nilsson's "Life" book, except that it has far more text and focuses exclusively on the conception-to-birth development stages. Powerful and informative. I think Hamberger (rather than Nilsson) wrote the text of the book, which insists on one page that abortion is ok - in spite of the clear humanity of the unborn child we see in the photographs. But other than this paragraph, it's a worthy tome.
April 30, 2014
What an AMAZING photographer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I always wanted to have one of his books and now I do have it in 2 editions too!!!
The photos are fascinating!
It follows the whole journey of a human being, with photos and text.
Some photos are a tiny bit disturbing but it's life!
Great great great piece of art!!!
I always wanted to have one of his books and now I do have it in 2 editions too!!!
The photos are fascinating!
It follows the whole journey of a human being, with photos and text.
Some photos are a tiny bit disturbing but it's life!
Great great great piece of art!!!
August 14, 2025
the photos are obviously sick as hell; the text is basically interchangeable with every other "at 12 weeks ur baby has 18 eyelids and can feel pain!" online or published pregnancy text and i think at this point, 50 years in, the photos would have been better served by an accompanying history of the photos-- how they were taken (these are not live fetuses! furthermore, they are posed! never do they clarify this!) how they have been seen and viewed over the last 50 years, how accurate they are and how we perceive the unborn fetus (ultrasound, mri, those creepy fake-3d pictures), etc.
April 25, 2021
This book is full with pictures about the baby growing inside of her mom. It is interesting to see how the baby is turning, moving etc. The text is sometimes a little bit boring, but you can follow the growing of the child from the first our until the day of birth.
A könyv tele van képekkel a baba anyukájában történő fejlődéséről. Érdekes látni, ahogy fordul, mozog stb. A szöveg helyenként kicsit unalmas, de követhető a gyermek fejlődése az első órától a születésig.
A könyv tele van képekkel a baba anyukájában történő fejlődéséről. Érdekes látni, ahogy fordul, mozog stb. A szöveg helyenként kicsit unalmas, de követhető a gyermek fejlődése az első órától a születésig.
January 24, 2018
As the political and judicial decisions around life today swirl and swindle Americans from their basic human rights to freedom, choice, safety, health, and well-being, Nilsson's book leads us thru a calm, fair, just, and dignified discovery of human life. May its tone be model for debate, and let science and fact lead our understanding of the organic world we embody.
August 17, 2022
This was such a wonderful book to look through when I was pregnant, because it shows glossy photos of embryos and fetuses in each stage of development up until birth. Most other books would show drawings and cartoons of the stages of development, but real life photos were fascinating.
*I skipped over a lot of the text, because it was a bit outdated.
*I skipped over a lot of the text, because it was a bit outdated.
December 20, 2018
Stunning photography. The entire book is of the finest quality and will challenge the introduction of ambiguity into ethics. As I was reading through this book, I noticed Nilsson attempts to remain neutral in the narrative and let the images speak for themselves.
March 22, 2020
This was actually a textbook in my biology class almost 40 years ago. I still have my copy and referred to it through my pregnancy and used it to teach my children. I give a copy to the pregnant people in my life and they've found the pictures as beautiful and fascinating as I have.
November 30, 2021
I was very much intrigued by this book due to its detailed pictures and illustrations of the pregnancy, birth, and newborn stages. However, the book was outdated (I read the version published in 1990), so of course this isn’t the best/most accurate resource anymore.
August 19, 2023
I gave this 4 stars because the photos are amazing and they deserve 5 stars.
This is the first edition that I owned. My fist daughter, then my second daughter, were very curious and fascinated with this book during the time that they were waiting for their sibling(s) to be born. It was very educational. We just looked at the photos together and I answered questions.
I purchased a later edition that was much better. The photos as well as the text have been updated.
This is the first edition that I owned. My fist daughter, then my second daughter, were very curious and fascinated with this book during the time that they were waiting for their sibling(s) to be born. It was very educational. We just looked at the photos together and I answered questions.
I purchased a later edition that was much better. The photos as well as the text have been updated.
November 23, 2017
Beautiful
September 28, 2018
Good day all is well please this is i faith a great book through the corking story through the unborn life thanks god bless proper have it good.
March 14, 2019
excellent would highly recommend
August 30, 2019
Stunning photographs of life in utero. Some were slightly dated, but still so incredible.
Read
January 4, 2021Amazing in-utero photography
March 28, 2022
Published in 1977. This book was amazing! Yes, the text is outdated and we more now (smoking does have a negative impact on the fetus), but the photography is incredible.
April 30, 2022
Incredible photos. The text is minimal but informative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews