Twinkind - by William Viney (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An arresting illustrated history of twins in mythology, science, and visual culture. Twins have captivated the imagination for centuries, occupying a unique place in our cultural and scientific history. Twinkind looks at twins in myth and legend; anatomy, sociology, and genetics; and as sources of spectacle, entertainment, and community. A visual journey like no other, this book sheds critical light on the competing visions of twins around the world and throughout history, showing how the lived experience of twinkind has elicited profound attraction and respect, but also puzzlement, fear, and fascination."--

Book Synopsis

An arresting illustrated history of twins in mythology, science, and visual culture

Twins have captivated the imagination for centuries, occupying a unique place in our cultural and scientific history. Twinkind looks at twins in myth and legend; anatomy, sociology, and genetics; and as sources of spectacle, entertainment, and community.

Drawing on hundreds of striking and sometimes haunting illustrations, William Viney examines depictions of twins as protagonists in creation stories ranging from Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca in Aztec mythology to Artemis and Apollo in Greek legend. He describes how twins have featured prominently in scientific research across the centuries, but especially in the work of Francis Galton, whose study of twins on the behavioral question of heredity versus environment gave rise to the pseudoscience of eugenics in the late nineteenth century. Viney explores the representation of twins in art, photography, and film--from the works of Roger Ballen to the cinema of Stanley Kubrick--and delves into the darker meanings ascribed to twins across the millennia.

A visual journey like no other, this book sheds critical light on the competing visions of twins around the world and throughout history, showing how the lived experience of twinkind has elicited profound attraction and respect, but also puzzlement, fear, and fascination.

Review Quotes

"

This clever "thematic collage" celebrates twindom in all its dyadic incarnations: from myth to medicine, from Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors to the Kray twins ... Beautiful.

"-- "The Times"

"A global guide to the myths, legends and science of twins ... spans sacred west African sculptures, mythology and 1920s flappers to present a community defined by both similarity and uniqueness."-- "Financial Times"

"A handsomely produced anthology of twin representations."---Parul Sehgal, New Yorker

"[This] book is a visual feast."---Christine Rosen, Wall Street Journal

"Dazzling."---Rebecca Foster, Foreword Reviews

"The secret life of doubles is rich fodder for storytelling, as Viney's compendium thoroughly demonstrates."---Sarah Rose Sharp, Hyperallergic

"[An] impeccably researched visual treat."---Jude Cook, The Spectator

"[A] scintillating study. . . . It's a meticulous inquiry into a subject of perennial fascination."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"A visually fascinating study featuring dazzling photographs and artwork."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

About the Author

William Viney is a research associate at Imperial College London. He is the author of Twins: Superstitions and Marvels, Fantasies and Experiments and Waste: A Philosophy of Things. Himself a twin, he directed the documentary short film Twins on Twins.