''Seeing Voices: A Journey Into the World of the Deaf'' is a 1989 book by
neurologist
Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Wolf Sacks, (9 July 1933 – 30 August 2015) was a British neurologist, naturalist, historian of science, and writer. Born in Britain, Sacks received his medical degree in 1958 from The Queen's College, Oxford, before moving to the Uni ...
. The book covers a variety of topics in
Deaf studies, including
sign language
Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...
, the neurology of deafness, the history of the treatment of
Deaf American
In the United States, deaf culture was born in Connecticut in 1817 at the American School for the Deaf, when a deaf teacher from France, Laurent Clerc, was recruited by Thomas Gallaudet to help found the new institution. Under the guidance and in ...
s, and linguistic and social challenges facing the
Deaf community
Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...
. It also contains an eyewitness account of the March 1988
Deaf President Now
Deaf President Now (DPN) was a student protest in March 1988 at Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C. The protest began on March 6, 1988 when the Board of Trustees announced its decision to appoint a hearing candidate, Elisabeth Zinser, Elizabet ...
student protest at
Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first sc ...
, the only liberal arts college for deaf and hard of hearing in the world. ''Seeing Voices'' was Sacks' fifth book.
Books by Oliver Sacks (official website)
Retrieved 7 June 2009.
Reception
Critics of ''Seeing Voices'' agreed that the book is highly informative. ''Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' described it as "extraordinarily moving and thought-provoking". While Debra Berlanstein of ''Library Journal
''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' characterized the book as insightful, she wrote that it seems more suited to a scholarly audience than some of Sacks' more popular books.
Editions
This list only provides details for the most significant editions
*First U.S. Edition: University of California Press
The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...
, 1989, hardcover
A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...
, 180 pages, .
*First Canadian Edition: Stoddart Publishing
Stoddart Publishing was a Canadian book publisher and distributor, owned by Jack Stoddart, which ceased operations in 2002.UncreditedBook giant Stoddart files for creditor protection CBC News, May 1, 2002. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
History
General ...
, 1989, hardcover, 180 pages, .
*1990-91: Six more editions.
*U.S. Reprint: Vintage Books
Vintage Books is a trade paperback publishing imprint of Penguin Random House originally established by Alfred A. Knopf in 1954. The company was purchased by Random House in April 1960, and a British division was set up in 1990. After Random Hous ...
(Knopf Publishing
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers i ...
), 2000, paperback
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...
, 240 pages, .
* U.S. updated paperback edition (HarperPerennial), 1990, 186pp,
References
External links
Seeing Voices (Oliver Sacks' official website)
Oliver Sacks discusses ''Seeing Voices'' with John Forrester
- a British Library sound recording
{{Oliver Sacks
Books by Oliver Sacks
1989 non-fiction books
Deaf culture in the United States
Picador (imprint) books
University of California Press books
Literature about deaf people