L,B wins book on the 'superhuman'

Little, Brown has won an auction for a book about the extremes of human ability by Rowan Hooper, the managing editor of New Scientist magazine.

Superhuman: People at the Extremes of Human Ability – and What They Tell Us About Our Potential takes a look at the genes of people with extraordinary talents and why some have been born with inherited abilities greater than the rest of us.

The book’s subjects range from a baby born as strong as a body-builder to the woman who can remember every detail of her life and a man who only stops running when he falls asleep.

Tim Whiting, publisher at Little, Brown acquired British Commonwealth and translation rights from Patrick Walsh at PEW Literary and will publish in hardback in spring 2018.

Whiting said: “I believe Superhuman is a potential bestseller. We have all stood in awe at apparently superhuman sporting endeavor, or bravery, or intelligence – this book will show how much we are learning about the genetic influence on extreme ability. But the more we understand it, the more we will be tempted to manipulate it with gene-editing technology. We will have to face a choice as a species: will we attempt to democratize new techniques, will we ban them, or will we exploit them for the benefit of a few?

“Part narrative journey through the world of superhumanity and part exploration of the moral dilemmas involved, Superhuman is science writing at its absolute best: full of great stories, good sense and cutting edge research.”