'This book's primary subject
is a particular way of thinking and talking about race: the scientific
way. But The Race Gallery 's broader theme is that of how we think and
talk about race in general. We do so at inordinate length, yet with
extreme anxiety: we feel that the subject is covered by a taboo, but we
don't know exactly what the rules of the taboo are. It seems important,
if not obligatory, to discuss cultural differences, but dangerous even
to mention physical differences. At the same time that we feel
compelled to do it, we are profoundly uncertain about how to think
about race.' - The Race Gallery
The
Race Gallery: The
Return of Racial Science was
published in hardback
by Jonathan Cape in 1995, and in
paperback by Vintage in 1996. Copyright Marek
Kohn;
artwork copyright Random House.
"Masterly
... elegant, timely
and devastating ... A book that is unafraid of looking hard at tough
questions ... and succeeds brilliantly" -
Nicholas Lezard, Guardian, Paperback Pick of the Week
"Masterly ... elegant, timely and devastating ... A book that is
unafraid of looking hard at tough questions ... and succeeds
brilliantly" - Nicholas Lezard, Guardian,
Paperback Pick of the Week
"Learned, well-written and fresh" - Matt Ridley, Sunday Telegraph
"Fair-minded, compact and luminous ... Cool, clear and extremely
timely" - Eric Korn, The Guardian
"Invaluable" - Tom Nairn, London
Review of Books
