An intellectual tour de force, and a brilliant demonstration of how a historical approach is often the best way of explaining difficult scientific problems ... For anybody who wants to understand the depths of our understanding of our brains, and our even deeper ignorance, I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. -- Henry Marsh ― New Statesman
Sweeping and electrifyingly sceptical -- James McConnachie ― The Times
Cobb is a rare jewel. [The Idea of the Brain] is a typically erudite, thrilling and thorough exploration of the most complex thing in the known universe. -- Adam Rutherford ― The Week
The best book produced in my lifetime on the brain. -- Richard C Atkinson, President Emeritus, University of California
