The Art of Seeing (Flamingo Modern Classics) - Softcover

Huxley, Aldous

Softcover

ISBN 10: 000654746X ISBN 13: 9780006547464

Publisher: Flamingo, 1994

Synopsis

At the age of 16, Huxley was stricken with an eye disease which left him in a state of near-blindness for many years thereafter. In 1939, in a state of exasperation, he began to practise the method of visual re-education evolved by Dr W.H. Bates. Within two months he was reading without spectacles and without eyestrain. An enthusiastic convert, Huxley wrote this book, a homage to the Bates method and a serious challenge to the orthodox medical profession.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

When Aldous Huxley was sixteen years old he was stricken with a serious eye disease which left him, after many months of near-blindness with severely defective vision. Many years later, he discovered the method of visual re-education invented by Dr Bates, an American oculist. It was a discovery that revolutionised Huxley's life.
Within two months he was reading without spectacles and subsequently his vision continued to improve dramatically. In 'The Art of Seeing', Huxley not only describes the eye exercises of the Bates method (still in use today), but also explores the philosophical foundations of its effectiveness.

First published in 1943, 'The Art of Seeing' was a challenge to the scientific orthodoxy of the day.
Bates' theory of the close relationship between mental well-being and clarity of vision found the perfect champion in Huxley, whose subsequent works reflected his increasing preoccupation with the unexplored powers of the mind. A passionate argument for self-healing affording remarkable insights into Huxley' s intellectual spirit, 'The Art of Seeing' is a curious and remarkable book.

"Huxley has put so much of his personality and individual style into this book that it should interest everybody, whatever the condition of their sight."
LITERARY REVIEW

"Huxley's 'The Art of Seeing' will arouse the liveliest interest, not only among readers who are anxious to avoid, or to give up, the discomfort and nuisance of spectacles, but also among those for whom the story of how a man threatened with blindness recovered his sight has a peculiar poignancy."
THE TIMES

About the Author:

Aldous Huxley was born in 1894 near Godalming, Surrey. He began writing poetry and short stories in his early twenties, but it was his first novel, ‘Crome Yellow’ (1921), which established his literary reputation. This was swiftly followed by ‘Antic Hay (1923), ‘Those Barren Leaves’ (1925) and ‘Point Counter Point ‘(1928) – bright, brilliant satires in which Huxley wittily passed judgement on the shortcomings of contemporary society.

About this edition

• Publisher: Flamingo
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 000654746X
• ISBN 13: 9780006547464
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176