Neuroaesthetics: A Bibliography.

by Brian

BrainEthics does us all a huge favor by posting a tasty bibliography of books on bio- or neuro- aesthetics. The following books cover music, storytelling, and drawing/painting:

1. Prehistoric art (Harry N. Abrams 2003)
2. The prehistoric mind (Thames and Hudson 1996)
3. The mind in the cave (Thames and Hudson 2004)
4. What is art for? (University of Washington Press 1988)
5. Homo Aestheticus (University of Washington Press 1992)
6. The psychology of art and the evolution of the conscious brain (Bradford Book 2003)
7. Inner vision (Oxford University Press 1999)
8. Vision and art (Harry N. Abrams 2002)
9. The cognitive neuroscience of music (Oxford University Press 2003)
10. This is your brain on music (Dutton 2006)
11. Memory in literature (Palgrave Macmillan 2003)
12. Why we read fiction (Ohio State University Press 2006)
13. Music and emotion (Oxford University Press 2001)
14. Creativity and the brain (Psychology Press 2005)
15. Evolutionary and neurocognitive approaches to aesthetics, creativity and the arts (Baywood 2006)
16. New directions in aesthetics, creativity and the arts (Baywood, in press).
17. Neurology and the arts (Imperial College Press 2004)
18. Neuropsychology of art (Psychology Press 2005).
19. Art and intimacy (University of Washington Press 2000)
20. Literary darwinism (Routledge 2004)
21. The literary animal (Northwestern University Press 2005).
22. The origins of music (The MIT Press 2001)
23. The singing neanderthals from 2005 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)

I’ve read some of these, including Why We Read Fiction, The Literary Animal, and Literary Darwinism, none of which left me feeling very illuminated. What is Art For, in contrast, made me feel more illuminated than a tweenage girl in a tanning bed.

You can get more details at Brainethics.