Kurt Stenn

Yep, it's a book about hair. About all kinds of things about hair. The growth and structure of hair, hair transplants, barbers, wigs and other things made from hair, hairstyles, locks of hair as keepsakes, wool and animal fur and their importance in history, hair in forensic science, and lots of other things. Basically just lots of hair.

For all that, it's quite a short book, so it sometimes feels like you're kind of just getting lots and lots of random hair facts thrown at you quickly without a lot of in-depth exploration, and sometimes without a whole lot of rhyme or reason. Which could be annoying, but, I have to say, I was far too interested by all the huh-I-never-knew-that hair facts to care much. If you are also the sort of person capable of being pleasantly distracted by learning, for instance, that the best hairs for paintbrushes come from the underside of the tail of a male Siberian sable during winter, or that there's a legend about felt being invented by a guy walking around with wool in his shoes, then this is definitely the book for you.

I still don't know why that one weird, annoying hair keeps growing out of the side of my neck, though.… (lisätietoja)

Like [Cod] or [Salt] or the books by [[Mary Roach]], Stenn has written a book focussed on the many ways human lives have been entwined by hair -- not only on our bodies, but in our musical instruments, in art, in clothing, even in food (slightly yuck). Unlike those writers, Stenn has chosen a topic he not only curious about, but is his passion: he is an expert in the field and his passionate interest and deeply-rooted (sorry!) knowledge comes through. The book is extremely well-written -- informative without ever being overbearing or over-written and often amusing at just the right moment-- (who knew that 'mad as a hatter' comes from the process of dousing the beaver pelt for hats, so popular in the previous two centuries) in mercury salts that poisoned the hatters. Lots about the making of wigs, the making of first felts, then weaving . . . And as I was finishing up I was, appropriately, winding up some balls of yarn for my next knitting project! Also with a corgi or two at my feet -- Welsh dogs that are descended from the herding dogs brought to Britain by the Flemish weavers Stenn writes in the late middle ages to improve English weaving. *****… (lisätietoja)

Kurt Stenn is a lucky man. He has spent his entire working life in hair, as a professor, researcher and expert. And he still has a full head of hair. He is knowledgeable, a great communicator, and a confident writer. Who better to write the history and state of the art of hair?

The book is an easy read of how hair has been treated over the ages, how it works biologically, and side trips into the hair of other beasts, notably sheep and beaver. The most useful sections, of course, are on human hair.

Hair has three stages – a long growth period, a shorter resting period, and a shedding period. Hairs don’t act in unison, so there is always growth and always shedding going on. Shedding a hundred hairs a day is perfectly normal. Balding and graying, unfortunately are also normal, and are very public badges of the stages of life, from the light colors of infancy to the rich thickness of youth, to the thinning whiteness of aging. The physical properties of hair, its structure, strength and facets are all detailed understandably. There are myths, diseases and scientific applications to add to the fascination.

There is important information on treatments we have invented and used to remake our hair. Coloring, permanent waves, straightening and other such processes damage hair, often permanently, and Stenn explains how. People spend billions a year doing it, because it seems no matter what sort of hair each person is given, they always seem to want something else. For those without, there is a chapter on the evolution and craft of wigs, which are much more widespread than you might first think. The kinds of hairs that go into them and their care and feeding are a revelation. There are explanations of current research which has determined that stem cells create follicles, but we haven’t figured out how to make that process work for us where we need it.

Hair could easily have been three times as long, going into far more medical depth for example, but Stenn has written a compact introduction that is never boring and ultimately very satisfying.

David Wineberg… (lisätietoja)