S&S bags exploration of human body by Roberts

Simon & Schuster has acquired Anatomical Oddities, a "charming" exploration of the human body by Professor Alice Roberts. 

Publishing director Holly Harris obtained world rights from Luigi Bonomi at LBA. This will be S&S’s third book with Roberts, following Ancestors: A Prehistory of Britain in Seven Burials and Buried: An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain.

S&S’s Children’s Books recently announced the acquisition of two middle-grade prehistoric adventure books from her, with the first book due to be released in summer 2023. Anatomical Oddities will be published in hardback on 10th November.

"Anatomical Oddities takes the reader on a journey into the hidden landscape of the human body, its crypts, caverns and gorges, its islets and mountains," the synopsis reads. "But it’s also a journey into the history of the body—revealing how its details were uncovered, and the extraordinary etymology of anatomical terms."

Roberts is an academic, author and broadcaster, specialising in human anatomy, evolution, archaeology and history. In 2001 she made her television debut on Channel 4’s "Time Team" and has presented more than 100 television programmes. She has been professor of public engagement with science at the University of Birmingham since 2012, where she teaches human anatomy to medical students as well as championing outreach. 

"Anatomy and art have been my twin enduring passions," she said. "Break me in half like a stick of rock and it’s says ‘anatomist’ inside. This is my mappa mundi of the body, and I hope people enjoy exploring it as much as I’ve loved creating it."

Harris added: "Alice is a true polymath, and her thirst for knowledge and passion for communicating it are showcased brilliantly in this original and charming book. Her delightful writing and beautiful drawings expertly illuminate our weirdest body parts. We’re thrilled to be her publisher."