The Face
A Cultural History
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Published:26th Feb '26
Should be back in stock very soon
'Equal parts gripping and scholarly... a timely book that gets to the heart of contemporary society' Katy Hessel, Sunday Times
'Utterly fascinating, beautifully written, scholarly yet entertaining' Joanna Lumley
A pioneering study into how we interpret faces and what they reveal about us, from a world-renowned cultural historian
What’s in a face?
The face is the only part of the body where all the senses come together and, over the course of human history, has come to represent who we are as individuals. We unlock our phones with facial recognition; we have our faces stamped in our passports; and although our faces may change over the course of our lives – whether through ageing, accident, illness or lifestyle – they remain a foundational marker of identity.
In The Face, cultural historian Fay Bound-Alberti explores the ways humans have interpreted faces and how they have shaped our ideas of morality, social hierarchy, psychology and so much more, revealing some of the biases that inform our everyday lives. She charts how new technologies and cultural innovations have transformed our conception of selfhood over time – from the growth of portraiture in the Renaissance and the mass production of mirrors and photography in the nineteenth century, to twenty-first century developments, such as digital avatars and face transplants.
Bringing together a wealth of fascinating research, interviews and illuminating personal narratives, Bound-Alberti probes beneath the surface to ask what our faces really say about us.
Equal parts gripping and scholarly... a timely book that gets to the heart of contemporary society -- Katy Hessel * Sunday Times *
An elegant and engaging history... at its most compelling when it becomes polemical, showing how the sexism, classism and racism that informs how we have long perceived faces is reinforced today -- Max Liu * Financial Times *
An expansive exploration of the human face and the extraordinary burden it has been made to carry... a meticulously researched and unsettling book, and Bound-Alberti’s overarching message is poignant -- Zoë Huxford * New Statesman *
Compelling, scholarly, striking... an elegant history -- Rose Beer * Evening Standard *
Fascinating... a distinctive take on what we don’t normally appreciate as a “cultural object" * Telegraph best book of 2026 *
Stimulating... Bound-Alberti’s roving narrative touches on everything from eugenics to makeup to the first selfie... It makes for a fun and thought-provoking rumination on what it means to take each other at face value * Publisher's Weekly *
The Face has blown me away. It's utterly fascinating, beautifully written, scholarly yet entertaining and I completely love it. I couldn't admire Fay Bound-Alberti more -- Joanna Lumley
Like the double-faced god Janus, Bound-Alberti’s piercing gaze is split between our rich past and our uncertain future, enabling her to offer some fascinating insights about the nature of human identity. She uses both the wide-angle lens and the magnifying glass to dazzling effect. A compelling and thought-provoking book that is sure to linger in the reader's mind -- Lindsey Fitzharris, New York Times Bestselling author of The Facemaker
ISBN: 9780241670712
Dimensions: 243mm x 284mm x 28mm
Weight: 478g
288 pages