Skip to content

Woman An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman An Intimate Geography Trade cloth - 1999

by Angier, Natalie


Summary

A Pulitzer Prize-winner offers a book about femaleness --- in body and mind --- that could prove as important as The Second Sex or Our Bodies, Our Selves and as fresh as Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. With the clarity, insight, and sheer joy of language that has secured her reputation as one of the New York Times's premier stylists, Natalie Angier lifts the veil of secrecy from that most enigmatic of evolutionary masterpieces, the female body, exploring the essence of what it means to be a woman. Angier's thoughts on everything from organs to orgasm evince her famously playful originality, yet stand their ground in scientific fact. She also dives into hot topics such as menopause and evolutionary psychologists' faddish views of "female nature," creating a sparkling, fresh vision of womanhood.

From the publisher

A Pulitzer Prize-winner offers a book about femaleness --- in body and mind --- that could prove as important as The Second Sex or Our Bodies, Our Selves and as fresh as Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. With the clarity, insight, and sheer joy of language that has secured her reputation as one of the New York Times's premier stylists, Natalie Angier lifts the veil of secrecy from that most enigmatic of evolutionary masterpieces, the female body, exploring the essence of what it means to be a woman. Angier's thoughts on everything from organs to orgasm evince her famously playful originality, yet stand their ground in scientific fact. She also dives into hot topics such as menopause and evolutionary psychologists' faddish views of "female nature," creating a sparkling, fresh vision of womanhood.

First line

PUT A FEW ADULTS in a room with a sweet-tempered infant, and you may as well leave a tub of butter sitting out in the midday sun.

Details

  • Title Woman An Intimate Geography
  • Author Angier, Natalie
  • Binding Trade Cloth
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 432
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Houghton Mifflin, Boston
  • Date April 1, 1999
  • ISBN 9780395691304

Media reviews

"...a remarkable document of universal interest.... a tour de force, a wonderful, entertaining and informative book." -- Abraham Verghese

"...dazzling.... What you'll see through her eyes will startle and amaze you." -- Marilyn Yalom The New York Times

"The revolution already has a manifesto in the form of the ebullient Woman: An Intimate Geography. There are other female-positive books hitting the stores - but it's Angier who most decisively lifts the concept of the human female out of its traditional oxymoronic status. You gotta love a self-described female chauvinist sow who writes like Walt Whitman crossed with Erma Bombeck and depicts the vagina as a Rorschach with legs. Woman is a delicious cocktail of estrogen and amphetamine designed to pump up the ovaries as well as the cerebral cortex. " Time Magazine

"In Woman, Angier wields her poetic scalpel to explore female biology, and the result is awesome."—Dr. Susan Love, Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book

"[Angier] is my kind of feminist. Unlike, say, Catherine MacKinnon, she has a sense of humor about the war between the sexes. .... It is the open-mindedness of Woman that is so beguiling. Natalie Angier encourages us to celebrate the diversity of human nature and to realize that the process of cultural evolution is only just beginning."—Erica Jong, The New York Observer

"O joy, O rapture unforeseen! Natalie Angier's fascinating book about the female body is a hilarious romp through, well, our innards. In a deliciously irreverent, energetic, and clear writing style, she demystifies and de-mythicizes women's anatomy and biological workings. Along the way, Angier leaves no metaphor unexplored....She reveals the mysterious universe of women's bodies for even the most scientifically impaired souls. Like the evolution she describes, Angier is self-selecting in what she writes about, but her passion for what make us gals tick is infectious. Her explanation of chromosomes veritably sings. Woman: An Intimate Geography will leave the reader, male or female, in sheer awe of the complexity and power of women's bodies."— Ms. Magazine

"A delightfully mischievous yet serious book on the biology of the female body. Mischievous in that the science is interpreted in terms of modern feminism. It is a great read." — Phillip Sharp, MIT professor and Nobel laureate

"A delighted and delightful book, scientifically intelligent, politically astute, and replete with the intense complexity and fascination of biology. The writing is wonderful and the humor and sensibility are as rare as they are welcome."—Perri Klass, M.D.

"Woman is so captivating I couldn't put it down. It is jam-packed with fascinating, carefully researched facts I never knew before about how we women work. Best of all, Angier's abundant sense of humor and colorful writing style make this an irresistible read for everyone interested in women's bodies and women's health."—Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D., Strong Women Stay Young

"In this witty, learned, adventurous book, Angier gives feminism a cheerful, evolutionary twist. Her deflation of the 'new science of evolutionary psychology' is a brilliant combination of hard science, humor and common sense exactly right."—Katha Pollitt, The Nation

"Angier has brought both her considerable intellect and wry sense of humor to this book. The result is brilliantly accessible and wonderfully subversive."— Dr. Christiane Northrup, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

"Having occupied a woman’s body for nearly sixty years, I didn’t think any book would have much to teach me. How wrong I was!" — Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, ethologist and author of The Hidden Life of Dogs

"Passion and intelligence meet in a gorgeous book about what it means to be a woman today, yesterday, and forever. Herein lies a fund of knowledge beautifully conveyed, as well as questions that have yet to be answered." Kirkus Reviews

"It's hard not to sound effusive about Woman: An Intimate Geography, since it's fabulous. Angier's book contains more facts about women than anything I've read since the Boston Women's Health Collective published Our Bodies, Our Selves in 1973. My advice about Woman is, get three copies, one for the beach, one for the bathroom and one to read under the covers with a flashlight." Elle

"To read Woman is to banish the gods of negative body image. It is transformative in the way Our Bodies, Our Selves was in the '70s, and no less radical. In fact, if Our Bodies, Our Selves has become the bible of women's bodies, let Woman: An Intimate Geography be our Shakespeare." Mirabella

"It's exhilarating to follow Angier's subversive logic as she dismantles the misogynist mythologies once advanced as the scientific gospel of the female body and replaces them with theories more congenial with the female soul....Angier's brilliant and witty fantasia will inspire women to believe in their powwers." Boston Globe

"One knows early on one is reading a classic—a text so necessary and abundant aand truuuuue that all efforts of its kind, for decades before and after it, will be measured by it. ... After a careful reading of this essential book, men should pass it along to someone they love-—their sons, daughters ... lovers and spouses. For a fresh look into the life's sciences ... and the pure pleasure of language in service to the facts of life, Angier's Woman is as good as it gets."— Thomas Lynch, Los Angeles Times

"The chief manifesto of the new 'femaleist' thinking, this ebullient and provocative treatise on women's bodies reads like a mixture of Walt Whitman and Erma Bombeck."— Barbara Ehrenreich, TIME cover story, "The Truth About Women's Bodies"

Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Woman: An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman: An Intimate Geography

by Angier, Natalie, and Tillich

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very good in good dust jacket. Dust jacket showing slight shelf wear.
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Bremerton, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$1.00
$5.25 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), 1999. Hard cover. Very good in good dust jacket. Dust jacket showing slight shelf wear.. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 432 p. Audience: General/trade.
Item Price
$1.00
$5.25 shipping to USA
Woman: An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman: An Intimate Geography

by Natalie Angier

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$1.49
$3.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Used - Good. . . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofit job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
Item Price
$1.49
$3.00 shipping to USA
Woman: An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman: An Intimate Geography

by Angier, Natalie

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$2.34
$3.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1999-04-06. Hardcover. Very Good. 1.3000 in x 9.0000 in x 6.2000 in.
Item Price
$2.34
$3.00 shipping to USA
Woman : An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman : An Intimate Geography

by Angier, Natalie

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA
Woman: An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman: An Intimate Geography

by Angier, Natalie

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Houston, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.37
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000-01-01. Hardcover. Acceptable. 6x1x9.
Item Price
$5.37
FREE shipping to USA
Woman : An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman : An Intimate Geography

by Angier, Natalie

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.01
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$6.01
FREE shipping to USA
Woman : An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman : An Intimate Geography

by Angier, Natalie

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.01
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$6.01
FREE shipping to USA
Woman: An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman: An Intimate Geography

by Natalie Angier

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.30
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1999. Hardcover. Acceptable. Missing dust jacket; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.30
FREE shipping to USA
Woman: An Intimate Geography

Woman: An Intimate Geography

by Angier, Natalie; Tillich

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.30
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.30
FREE shipping to USA
Woman: An Intimate Geography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Woman: An Intimate Geography

by Angier, Natalie

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395691304 / 0395691303
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Interlochen, Michigan, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.79
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Item Price
$6.79
FREE shipping to USA