Left Handed History Of World

Through fascinating case studies of notables from ancient to modern times, Ed Wright explains the secret of lefty success.

A Left-Handed History of the World has now been updated to include a chapter on President Obama. About 10 per cent of the general population is left-handed. However 16 per cent of American presidents have been lefties and a disproportionately high number of left-handers feature in influential moments through history, from Julius Caesar to Bill Gates. Through fascinating case studies of notables from ancient to modern times, Ed Wright explains the secret of lefty success. Psychology meets history in this fascinating and popular look at being left-handed and its effects on our world.

By exploring the defining characters traits of these and other famous lefties, we uncover what the world can learn by viewing life from another angle.

Winner of the Aventis Science Book Prize. 'A scientific detective story, a brilliant cross between Edgar Allan Poe and Gray's anatomy' J G Ballard, New Stateman Books of the Year 'Fascinating' New Scientist 'Wonderful' Nature - What is the connection between Paul McCartney, Leonardo Da Vinci and Babe Ruth? - Why are parrots and peacocks left-footed? - Do left-handers behave differently from right-handers? - Why are most people right-handed? - Why are all muppets left-handed? - Why is the heart on the left-hand side of the body? - Why is each side of the human brain so different? RIGHT HAND, LEFT HAND uses sources as diverse as the paintings of Rembrandt and the sculpture of Michelangelo, the behaviour of Canadian cichlid fish and the story of early cartography. Modern cognitive science, the history of the Wimbledon tennis championship and the biographies of great musicians are also used to explain the vast repertoire of 'left-right' symbolism that permeates our everyday lives.

For a left-handed child in a right-friendly world, tasks that should come easily can seem confusing and frustrating. Parents of the more than 400,000 lefties born annually in the United States have had no resource that deals seriously with the learning difficulties their children face -- until now. Loving Lefties is the first ever guide to address all the issues pertinent to left-handedness: the biology, the physiology, and the psychological and practical effects of being a left-handed child. An essential aid for parents, teachers, and professionals, it covers the history and mythology of the left-handed brain, and offers sound advice on: • recognizing left-handedness in a child • making your child's home and school lefty-friendly • giving your child appropriate direction and encouragement • identifying the advantages of being left-handed • helping your child learn the skills his right-handed parents, instructors, and siblings consider basic. Filled with resource lists, guidelines, quick tips, answers to frequently asked questions, case studies, and anecdotes, Loving Lefties is the essential guide for raising a happy, healthy southpaw.

This book demystifies the place left-handness has held in society, shedding new light on this controversial discussion.

Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama have both signed bills into law with their left hands. And being left-handed certainly did not hold back the artistic achievements of Michelangelo or Raphael. And the dexterous guitar playing of Jimmi Hendrix may only have been aided by his southpaw tendencies. Left-handedness, in fact, would appear to be no big deal. Yet throughout history, it has been associated with clumsiness and generally dubious personality traits like untrustworthiness and insincerity. Even the Latin word for left, sinister, has ominous connotations. In The Puzzle of Left-handedness, Rik Smits uncovers why history has been so unkind to our lefthanded forebears. He carefully puts together the pieces of the puzzle, presenting an array of historical anecdotes, strange superstitions, and weird wives’ tales. Smits explains how left-handedness continues to be associated with maladies of all kinds, including mental retardation, alcoholism, asthma, hay fever, cancer, diabetes, insomnia, depression, and criminality. Even in the enlightened twenty-first century, left-handedness still meets with opposition—including from one prominent psychologist who equates it with infantile negativism, similar to a toddler’s refusal to eat what’s on his plate, and another who claims that left-handed people have average lifespans that are nine years shorter than those who favor the right hand. As Smits reminds us, such speculation is backed by little factual evidence, and the arguments presented by proponents of right-handedness tend to be humorously absurd. The Puzzle of Left-handedness is an enlightening, engaging, and entertaining odyssey through the puzzles and paradoxes, theories and myths, of left-handed lore. Chock full of facts and fiction, it’s a book to be read with both hands.

A social anthropologist recounts his time living and working in the Middle East. In Left-Handed in the Islamic World, the author, a social anthropologist, shares stories of Arabs he met and lived with, covering a period from 1968 to 2012. Lawrence of Arabia serves as an inspiration for the journey. Throughout the book the author calls upon a significant amount of history to give a background and to contextualize the stories. The stories describe the social lives of Arabs in a variety of places, those living in an oasis village, others in a mid-sized city, and yet others in a major metropolis. Some of the places are conflict or post-conflict zones. One is in a state of war. The countries include Libya and Egypt for longer periods and many other Arab countries for shorter visits. In most of the stories, the Arabs are Muslims, though in some they are Christians. The book presents Islam in its many shapes and different contexts. At its “best,” Islam will be seen as lived by Libyan Desert oasis villagers in creating a harmonious, well-lived life. In other cases, Islam will be glimpsed in ways not so favorable, especially in the treatment of non-Muslim Arabs living in Islamic societies. The author touches on a few theories as to why conflict is endemic to the Middle East. But none of these theories accounts fully for the recent emergence of the egregious behavior of such self-acclaimed groups as the Islamic State or ISIS, who pervert the religion to achieve their renewed Caliphate prophesies. Being left-handed in a right-handed Islamic World was for the author a metaphor for some of the complexities of living in that World as a development anthropologist, and also when developing programs as an international development consultant for firms tied to USAID and the World Bank. Stories of success and folly of such programs in the Middle East are instructive for development practitioners. The larger context raises questions about the Middle East and its perennial involvement in conflict, including the Arab-Israeli situation and the place of ISIS and al-Quaeda. “Dr. Mason’s book is just plain fun to read. It is interesting, amusing, and informative, without being annoyingly dense, complicated or tedious. It is written in a voice that is human and recognizable, candid and friendly, rather than technical and scientific. It is refreshingly accessible to a broad audience, while being equally interesting for the academic, anthropologist or students of social science, international development, or Middle Eastern studies. The book has just the right mix of personal story, situational context, cultural and historical description to paint a realistic and holistic picture of life in seemingly exotic lands, made more familiar through this narrative. It does a good job of humanizing people who may well be very different from the reader.” —Adam Koons, PhD, Applied Anthropologist, Overseas Humanitarian Assistance