The Handbook

Extract

Human Hand Function, by Lynette A. Jones and Susan J. Lederman. 2006. New York: Oxford University Press. 270 pp., $65.00 (HB).

Our hands are more than just convenient appendages for supporting our morning cup of coffee and bagel. They are highly evolved effectors capable of performing a vast array of complex tasks and the rapid decoding of multi-sensory information from the environment. Human Hand Function synthesizes the empirical evidence on nearly all aspects of hand function. The book is thoughtfully organized. Following the overview in which the authors introduce a conceptual framework of understanding hand function, there is the obligatory chapter on evolutionary development of hand anatomy. This chapter is more than just a review of phylogeny, as the authors link anatomical capacity with functional success and failures throughout the evolutionary ladder. Chapter 2 ends with a brief overview of biomechanical models that left this reviewer wanting more. It would have been nice to see more tables that synthesize complex concepts into a useful format. For example, following the discussion of biomechanical models in Chapter 2, it would have been helpful to see a table that translates various forces the hand is capable of generating into familiar operational behaviors, such as those we engage in daily.