London : Little, Brown, 2002. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine cloth copy in a near-fine, very slightly edge and dust-dulled dust-wrapper, now mylar-sleeved. Remains particularly well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description: 280 p. ; 23cm. Subjects: Masculinity. Human evolution. Human genetics. Genre: Philosophy. Language: English.

Synopsis

Men's beards grow faster when their bearers expect some sex. Fewer sperm cells are made in summer. Circumcised boys are more frightened of injections than boys who have not undergone the operation. And the average length of a man's penis is less than six inches, while that of a blue whale is ten feet. These are only a few of the remarkable facts that spill out in Y: The Descent of Men. With marvelous literary flair, the acclaimed scientist and author Steve Jones offers a landmark exploration of maleness, based on today's explosion of biological research about what makes a male -- a topic of consuming interest to at least half the population. From what males consider to be the "prince of chromosomes" -- the Y -- to novel insights into men's hormones, hair loss, and the hydraulics of man's most intimate organ, Jones lays out the case for and against masculinity. But the self-proclaimed "biologist in the bedroom" goes far beyond discussing straight science. He writes, for instance, of a meeting between Napoleon and Czar Alexander in which they discussed baldness cures rather than matters of state. And, as many angry males have found out, to the law fatherhood means more than genes. A father who is not a biological parent but who leaves a family with children still has responsibility for the offspring. Steve Jones hints at a startling truth: men are the second sex. The Y chromosome is no longer an excuse for excess. Compared with their partners, men are in relative decline, whether in social status or in length of life. Both halves of the population have to learn to cope with the Y chromosome. This book helps show them how.

Reviews

(Log in or Create an Account first!)

Details

Bookseller: MW Books Ltd. (IE)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 376582
Title: Y : the descent of men
Author: Jones, Steve
Format/Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Used
Quantity Available: 1
Edition: First Edition
ISBN 10: 0316856150
ISBN 13: 9780316856157
Publisher: London : Little, Brown
Place of Publication: London
Date Published: 2002

Terms of Sale

MW Books Ltd.

Returns accepted within 10 days of receipt if you are unsatisfied with either our description of, or the book itself.

About the Seller

MW Books Ltd.

This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Biblio member since 2005

Galway

Ask Seller a Question

About MW Books Ltd.

MW Books is an academic and antiquarian bookshop with a large stock in core areas such as Early Travel & Exploration, Nineteenth Century Literature, Early Political Economy, Labour and Social History, and Asian and Colonial History. Please don't hesitate to contact us with your questions or comments regarding any item listed.

Glossary
Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
First Edition: In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Tight: Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...