interesting. Covers the history of phrenology and of a few different instances of skull theft. Focused mainly on the Viennese composers ( )

I've somehow read quite a few books about severed heads and rogue skulls, so this book didn't have any "new" information for me. However, it was quite a fun read. ( )

I got quite a few chuckles out of this history book, but it also gave an interesting perspective on the changes in the relationship of the human skull to science over the past 300 years. ( )

Finally! It seems ages ago (by the by it was) that I started reading this. Cranioklepty is far off the beaten path of books I would usually choose to entertain my mind, buy why not try something different I thought when I picked it from the batch of Early Reviewers.

The book had a strong beginning and I learned many interesting facts I enjoyed sharing with friends and family. Toward the middle of the book I felt I had no choice, but to find another book to read. It lacked the intrigue the beginning had. Only recently did I tell myself, “You must finish this book!” I picked it up and began to blaze through it. Thank goodness the pace picked up.

Mr. Dickey did a wondrous amount of research and a good job connecting different bits of history. I was thrilled with two instances particularly that occurred while reading his book. For one, my place of work owns a replica bust of L.N. Fowler’s Phrenology chart (discussed in the book). Second when the author tells the story of the Piltdown skull, it rang a bell in my memory. I quickly went home and asked my mom, “Didn’t you have me read an article in school about the Piltdown skull?” She didn’t remember for sure, but I looked through the files and found that yes I had. I was ready to get out my fighting words ready to disprove the author. However, the next chapter put him back on the same page as me . . . that the whole Piltdown affair was a hoax. Anyway I love these types of connections that flow over to everyday life.

The book was overall a good read and a must for history buffs interested in cranioklepty. It was sad to read the measures people went to, for essentially just a skull. The way they idolized the skulls causes one to wonder what the people themselves would think if they were still alive. ( )

This book is a fascinating study into a science that has been discredited since the 20th century, phrenology.

Phrenology, in simple terms, explains the personalities and traits of a human based on the shape of their skull. The people who were involved (and were mentioned in this book, such as Karl Rosenbaum or Franz Joseph Gall) went to great lengths to prove that phrenology was as important as psychology (including robbing the graves and stealing the skulls of historical figures for their studies...which is quite mortifying, if you asked me).

The book covers all parts from its rise to its discredit with a twinge of morbid curiosity thrown in it, which makes it ever more an interesting book in my own library. ( )