The letters of one of the greatest observers of the human species, revealing his passion for life and work, friendship and art, medicine and society, and the richness of his relationships with friends, family, and fellow intellectuals over the decades, collected here for the first time.

'Oliver Sacks’s Letters isn’t a book of the year – it’s a book for a lifetime . . . Keep this by your side, dip into it, be reminded of the wonders of our shared humanity' – Erica Wagner, 'Books of the year 2024', New Statesman

A New Yorker and New Statesman Book of the Year

Oliver Sacks, one of the great humanists of our age – who describes himself in these pages as a ‘philosophical physician’ and an ‘astronomer of the inward’ – wrote to an eclectic array of family and friends. Most were scientists, artists, and writers: Francis Crick, W. H. Auden, Björk. But many of the most eloquent letters in this collection are addressed to the ordinary people who wrote to him with their odd symptoms and questions, to whom he responds with a sense of generosity and wonder.

With some correspondents, Sacks shares his struggle for recognition and acceptance both as a physician and as a gay man, providing intimate accounts as well of his passions for competitive weightlifting, motorcycles, botany, and music. With others, he chronicles his penchant for testing the boundaries of authority, the discovery of his writer’s voice, and his explosive seasons of discovery with the patients who populate his book Awakenings.

His descriptions of travels as a young man and the extraordinary people he encounters can be lyrical, ferocious, penetrating and hilarious. Many of his musings include the first detailed sketches of an essay forming in his mind, or miniature case histories rivalling those in his beloved essay collections.

Sensitively selected and introduced by Kate Edgar, Sacks’s longtime editor, the letters trace the arc of a remarkable life and reveal an often surprising portrait of Sacks as he wrestles with the workings of his own brain and mind.

'Here is the unedited Oliver Sacks – struggling, passionate, a furiously intelligent misfit. And also endless interesting. He was a man like no other' – Atul Gawande, author of Being Mortal

'Sacks is an endearing and entertaining prose stylist – inquisitive, often funny, never obtuse . . . Letters is crammed with off-the-cuff profundities, moments of elevated perception that briefly unriddle the more inscrutable aspects of human nature.' – Ralf Webb, Guardian

"A brilliant and vivid mind, a man whose intellectual appetite was vast . . . Sacks is an endearing and entertaining prose stylist – inquisitive, often funny, never obtuse . . . Letters is crammed with off-the-cuff profundities, moments of elevated perception that briefly unriddle the more inscrutable aspects of human nature" - The Guardian

"This collection of correspondence only cements Sacks’s legacy as a man of great compassion . . . Sacks showed generations of doctors (and patients) how medicine is just the starting point for an exploration of the possibilities of being human. With these letters, his legacy as an extraordinary writer, humanitarian and physician is secured" - The Observer

"In addition to possessing the technical skills of a twentieth-century doctor, [Sacks] sees the human condition like a philosopher-poet" - The New York Times

"Marshaling this mountain of words must have been a herculean task, but Edgar has managed to compile a collection that is coherent and, most of all, very enjoyable . . . A lifetime of correspondence adds new dimensions to a brilliant mind’s oeuvre." - Kirkus Reviews

"Oliver Sacks is a neurologist, a man of humane eloquence, and a genuine communicator" - The Observer

"These well-edited letters . . . show the extraordinary breadth of [Sacks'] scholarship and his real genius for describing people and natural phenomena" - The Telegraph

"'A sensitive, probing and humorous man . . . Sacks had a brilliant mind – and these letters reveal it further to the world" - The Independent

"Sacks’s trademark lyricism is evident throughout . . . What emerges is a pointillistic portrait of an incredible intellect with all-too-human frailties and an insatiable curiosity about the human condition. This is an essential resource for understanding Sacks" - Publishers Weekly

"Sacks writes in the the great tradition of literary doctors. He is humane, relaxed and amused, and loved a good anecdote" - The Spectator

"Among the best things I've read all year . . . his letters were magic" - New York Times

"To read these letters is to be reminded of the deeply felt humanism and ebullience that Sacks brought to his prose: They include condolences, replies to fans and long scientific musings that read like dry runs for his books. There isn’t a shred of cynicism or pessimism to be found here, only delight in sharing ideas and enthusiasms with friends, family, colleagues and fans." - Los Angeles Times

"A meticulous, thorough and loving selection that constitutes not only a series of reflections and explorations but also a gripping memoir, a Bildungsroman at one remove . . . Sacks’s letters are always expressive of his personality, though in various modes . . . What makes reading through all of these missives delightful is the inescapable gift for metaphor that sparkles on almost every page." - Wall Street Journal