London: Abacus, 2003. 280pp, index, bibliography. Or card covers. Very light toning to page edges.Taking his cue from Darwin's Descent of Man, the author, whose forte is genetics, turns his attention to one of nature's most neglected creatures-men.. First Paperback. Trade Paperback. Fine. 8vo.

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.

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Bookseller: Lawrence Jones (AU)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 016864
Title: Y: The Descent of Men
Author: Jones, Steve
Format/Binding: Paperback
Book Condition: Used - Fine
Edition: First Paperback
ISBN 10: 0349113890
ISBN 13: 9780349113890
Publisher: Abacus
Place of Publication: London
Date Published: 2003
Keywords: Genetics Gender Male Chromosomes
Bookseller catalogs: Science, Technical & Mathematics;

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Lawrence Jones

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Lawrence Jones

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Ashmore, Queensland

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About Lawrence Jones

I carry a general stock of approx 70000 titles of which only a small percentage is online. Viewing at my Ashmore bookrooms is welcome by appointment. While not specializing I have a good selection of art, natural history, military and surfing in stock. I also have many other non-fiction subjects, as well as approx 10000 paperback fiction titles on hand.

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Trade Paperback: Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover...
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