Allen & Unwin States of Mind book Science & nature English Paperback 272 pages

100+ writers, artists, philosophers and scientists explore the nature of consciousness.

The meaning of consciousness, the mechanics of the mind and otherworldly transition or disrupted states - such as trance, sleep-walking, amnesia and locked-in syndrome - are perennially fascinating issues. The subjects of many studies by ponderous philosophers and clinical psychologists, these issues and experiences have also sparked the creative imagination of numerous artists, literary writers, pulp sci-fi authors and Hollywood scriptwriters.States of Mind is an anthology of prose, poetry, real-life accounts and visual interpretations of liminal and disrupted states of consciousness. Key topic themes include the mind-body problem, artificial consciousness, synaesthesia, dreams, nightmares, sleep paralysis, somnambulism, aphasia, amnesia, anaesthesia and being buried alive.The 100+ entries span five centuries and include works by Jane Austen, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Arthur Conan Doyle, Francis Crick, Ren. Descartes, Emily Dickinson, H L Gold, Franz Kafka, H P Lovecraft, Marcel Proust, Mary Shelley, Henry David Thoreau, Alan Turing, H G Wells and Emile Zola.

Wellcome Collection publishes books for the incurably curious, exploring the connections between medicine, life and art. It is part of the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation dedicated to improving human and animal health. Anna Faherty is an award-winning writer, editor, researcher and teacher who has worked in publishing for almost a quarter of a century. Anna collaborates with publishers and museums on a diverse range of print, exhibition and digital projects and is an Associate Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and Course Leader for the MA Publishing programme at Kingston University. She is the author of the Reading Room Companion, published by Wellcome Collection. Mark Haddon is the author of three novels, including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Red House, and a volume of poetry, The Talking Horseand theSad Girl and the Village Under the Sea. He has written drama for stage, TV and radio. His latest book, a collection of short stories, is The Pier Falls, published by Jonathan Cape.