The brain is an endlessly fascinating topic for those who have one. And being a visual species, we humans are especially attracted to images of this intriguing organ. The combination of beauty and scientific value in both modern and antique brain imagery is hard to rival.

As a science journalist, I have had countless opportunities to view, study and appreciate pictures of the brain, but often they still astound me. And the collection of images in the new book Portraits of the Mind is truly impressive. Many of the them