Sceptre pre-empts neuroscience guide to identity

Sceptre has pre-empted Lost and Found, a "ground-breaking" book about "the new neuroscience of identity".

Drummond Moir, associate publisher at Sceptre, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canadian) rights to Lost and Found by consultant neurologist and writer Jules Montague from Will Francis at Janklow & Nesbit UK.

Lost and Found will examine personal identity through a series of stories, case studies and descriptions of "cutting edge" neuroscience. It explores what it is and how we lose it - to age, amnesia or dementia - and to what degree we remain the same people throughout our lives. It also explains why this is becoming an "essential" field of enquiry for science as well as philosophy.

Montague is a consultant neurologist at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, and an honorary consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square. She writes about medicine and neuroscience for the Guardian.

Moir said: “This will be the definitive book for our times about how we are affected by Alzheimer’s, dementia and related diseases. The subject has found its ideal author in Jules Montague, whose writing combines scientific expertise, profound humanity and spellbinding storytelling. Lost and Found could not be more timely, more important, more exciting or more essential.”

Francis added: “Jules is a neurologist with a philosopher’s grasp of ontology; she is also a stunningly accomplished writer. Her book will be a deeply exciting examination of human identity, and the questions neuroscience can and cannot answer. I’m thrilled about this deal, and very excited about the book.”

PJ Mark from the Janklow New York office will be submitting in the US later on this month. Rebecca Folland at Janklow & Nesbit UK is handling all translation rights.