The Human Body vs The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Biology, Popular works, Long Now Manual for Civilization, Science
The Human Body
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"In writing a book about the human body there is the great advantage that all the readers know what a human body is." Who but Isaac Asimov would begin a serious textbook in such a jovial way? Sketching first the…
The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science
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Reports on recent advances in the physical and biological sciences to aid the general reader in understanding modern scientific phenomena.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Human Body is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 16 for The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science.
- The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science has the widest readership — 8 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Human Body | The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 5.0 (1) | — |
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Reception
| The Human Body | The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 3 | 8 |
| Editions | 24 | 29 |
| Citations | — | 2 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 87 | 336 |
| Pages | 320 | 864 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Human Body or The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science?
The Human Body has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Human Body 3.8/5, The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Human Body or The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science?
The Human Body is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Human Body (320 pages, ≈ 5 h 56 m); The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science (864 pages, ≈ 16 h 00 m).
Which is harder to read: The Human Body or The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Human Body: Moderate; The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science: Moderate.