An Atlas of Human Anatomy is a book of pictures of all the parts of the human physical body. These books are used by medical students and doctors for study and reference. They are also useful for anyone who works on the human body - physical therapists, massage therapists, bodyworkers, bodybuilders, athletes of all kinds, yoga students, yoga teachers. And of course since we all have bodies, anyone may find these books interesting. There are also textbooks on anatomy, or more commonly, anatomy and physiology (A&P) which explain how the body works. These are also very interesting books. Atlases mainly just have pictures. There are also many atlases which specialize in just some parts of the body.
Atlases of human anatomy can be found in libraries and in larger bookstores. They are usually kind of expensive but they can be found more cheaply in used bookstores and on eBay. Most of the atlases on eBay will show up if you just search on "atlas anatomy", but you can search "human anatomy" and/or search descriptions and titles and many more books will show up.
There are several major current atlases of human anatomy. These are: Clemente, Grant, Netter, Pernkopf, and Sobotta (which are illustrated with drawings) and also McMinn and Rohen/Yokochi (which are illustrated with photographs). And I will now add the recent and not yet completely published Thieme atlas. A detailed listing of these follows. If you find these books useful, you may want to get more than one, since they are all different. It can even be useful to have different editions of the same atlas. If you are a medical student, it may be useful to get one of the photographic atlases. Most people who will not be disecting cadavers or performing surgery would probably be better off with the non-photographic atlases. Clemente and Netter would probably be the best choices for most people. Sobotta is more expensive (and Clemente uses plates from Sobotta), Pernkopf is not easily obtainable (and is very expensive), and Grant's seems to be a bit less respected than Clemente or Netter (it is definitely a serious atlas, but the illustrations may be a bit less spectacular than those in the other atlases).
There are also many older atlases and lesser known or less important atlases. I'll also list some of these - just kind of a random list of ones I have found out about so far. For a large list of what is currently available, you can search on "human anatomy atlas" at Amazon.com.
I am not a doctor or medical student, I just find these books interesting. In fact, I think these are the most amazing books in the world. If you haven't seen one of these major atlases, go to a library or bookstore and have a look!
Also, some web links are listed at the bottom of this page.
Anatomy: A Regional Atlas of the Human Body
Carmine D. Clemente, Ph.D.
With illustrations from Sobotta and (in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions) from Pernkopf.
Here's the first 2 paragaphs from Clemente's Preface to the first edition:
"Twenty-five years ago, while a student at the University of Pennsylvania,
I marvelled at the clarity, completeness, and boldness of the anatomical
illustrations of the original German editions of Professor Johannes Sobotta's
Atlas and their excellent three-volume English counterparts, the recent
editions of which were authored by the late Professor Frank H. J. Figge.
It is a matter of record that before World War II these atlases were the
most popular ones consulted by American medical students. In the United States,
with the advent of other anatomical atlases, the shortening of courses of
anatomy in the medical schools, and the increase in publishing costs, the
excellent but larger editions of the Sobotta atlases have become virtually
unknown to a full generation of students. During the past twenty years of
teaching Gross Anatomy at the University of California at Los Angeles I
have found only a handful of students who are familiar with the beautiful
and still unexcelled Sobotta illustrations.
"With this background I enthusiastically accepted the proposal of creating
a single-volume atlas from the Sobotta plates and those subsequently drawn
by Professor Erich Lepier of Vienna, with the objective of making this
teaching resource material once again available to American students,
this time at a relatively low cost."
1st edition 1975 Urban & Schwarzenberg 320 pages hardback
co-published in U.S. by Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia
2nd edition 1981 Urban & Schwarzenberg 387 pages hardback
3rd edition 1987 Urban & Schwarzenberg 433 pages hardback
4th edition June 1997
Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
940 pages Paperback ($61.95) ISBN 0683017330
Read about it or order it at
Amazon
Paperback packaged with CD-ROM version of Sobotta's Atlas ($129.00) ISBN 0683306227
Read about it or order it at
Amazon
Grant's Atlas of Anatomy
J.C. Boileau Grant (1866-1973)
1st edition - 1943 (2 volumes)
reprinted 1944 (in one volume) Williams & Wilkins Baltimore 398p, 665 illus
reprinted 1945 Williams & Wilkins Baltimore
2nd edition - 1947 Williams & Wilkins Baltimore 496p, 591 illus
reprinted 1948, 1949
3rd edition - 1951
reprinted 1953, 1954
4th edition - 1956
reprinted 1958, 1960, 1961
5th edition - 1962 pub Willimas & Wilkins (approx 500p)
reprinted 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970
6th edition - 1972
reprinted 1973, 1980, 1982
7th edition - 1978 Edited by James E. Anderson, M.D.
reprinted 1979, 1980, 1982
8th edition - 1985 Edited by James E. Anderson, M.D.
9th edition - 1991 Edited by Anne Agur 650p
Major revison under new editor.
Lots more coloration added to the black and white drawings
Lots of interesting photos removed (including the examples of facial
expressions caused by muscles on the face)
10th edition - August 1999 Edited by Anne M.R Agur, Ming J. Lee
784 pages, 1034 illustrations
Published by Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
Paperback $59.95 ISBN: 0-683-30264-7
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
Hardback $95.00 ISBN: 0-781-72260-8
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
11th edition - April 2004 Edited by Anne M.R Agur, PhD, Arthur F. Dalley II, PhD
848 pages, 1600 illustrations
Published by Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
Paperback (with CD-ROM) $68.95 ISBN: 0-7817-4255-2
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
Hardback (with CD-ROM) $99.00 ISBN: 0-7817-4256-0
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
Color Atlas of Human Anatomy
R.M.H. McMinn, R.T. Hutchings
This is a photographic atlas. An anatomy teacher (who happens to be my accountant) once told me that McMinn's is good for bones, and I then noticed that most of the bones are depicted from many angles - front, back, left, right, top, bottom.
Here are the first and last paragraphs from the Preface to the first edition:
"The object of this atlas is to assist undergraduates and postgraduates
in the study of human anatomy. Of course, good textbooks and atlases
already exist and by colouring arteries red and nerves yellow, for
example, they are justly popular as aids to learning. But so often,
and especially for newcomers to the subject, the interior of the body seems to
look very different from the neat diagrams in the book, and we believe it
is helpful to show body strutures as they actually exist in suitably
prepared specimens of the kind that students see in the dissecting room
and meet in examinations. In this way we hope to bridge the gap between the
description of the textbook and the reality of the body.
"We would like to think that this book may be regarded as something more
than just an aid to academic learning and the passing of examinations.
The human body is indeed 'fearfully and wonderfully made', and we hope
our attempt at exercising some degree of photographic artistry to display
the interior of the body will lead to a wider appreciation of the fact that
beauty of form is not limited to the exterior."
1st edition - 1977 - 352p
Edited by R.M.H. McMinn, R.T. Hutchings
Published by Yearbook Medical Publishers, Inc. Chicago
Reprinted 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982
Hardback, ISBN: 0-8151-5823-8
2nd edition - 1988 - 358 pages
Edited by R.M.H. McMinn, R.T. Hutchings, J. Pegington, P.H. Abrahams
Mosby-Wolfe ISBN: 0-8151-5858-0 (pbk) ISBN: 0-8151-5851-3 (hardcover)
3rd edition - 1993 - 359 pages
Publisher: Mosby Yearbook, St. Louis
4th edition - February 1998 - 368 pages
Editors: P.H. Abrahams, R.T. Hutchings, S.C. Marks Jr.
Publisher: Mosby-Year Book
Paperback $47.00 ISBN: 0723427720 Read about it or order it at
Amazon.com
Hardback $66.00 ISBN: 0723426414 Read about it or order it at:
Amazon.com
5th edition - December 1, 2002 - 378 pages
Editors: P.H. Abrahams, R.T. Hutchings, S.C. Marks Jr.
Publisher: Mosby-Year Book
Paperback $62.95 ISBN: 0723432120 Read about it or order it at
Amazon.com
Atlas of Human Anatomy - Frank H. Netter MD
A newer, very popular and well-respected atlas with excellent illustratons.
Seems to be the current atlas of choice in medical schools. Can be found in
larger bookstores. These always go for top dollar on eBay.
Earlier editions published by Novartis: www.meded.pharma.us.novartis.com
Later editions published by Saunders/Elsevier: www.elsevierhealth.com/
Elsevier's Website has a special section just for Netter products:
www.us.elsevierhealth.com/Netter
1st edition - 1989 Novartis 514 plates
Hardback ($79.00 new) ISBN 0914168185
also published in paperback
2nd edition - 1997 Novartis
Paperback ISBN 0914168-81-9 ($65.00) pages are not numbered
Amazon
Also available with CD-ROM:
Amazon
CD-ROM only:
Amazon
Hardback 577 plates ($85.00)
Amazon
3rd edition - Paperback - JAN 2003 Novartis
ISBN 1929007116 ($68.95) 590 pages
Amazon
3rd edition - Hardcover - APR 2003 Saunders
ISBN 1929007213 594 pages
Amazon
4th edition - Paperback - JUN 2006 Saunders
ISBN 1416033858 ($75.95) 640 pages
Amazon
4th edition - Hardcover (Professional Edition) - JUL 2006 Saunders
ISBN 1416036997 ($129.00) 640 pages
Amazon
From Publisher's Website:www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=9781416036999
Prior to the publication of these atlases, Netter's medical illustrations
were published in a large set of books known as the CIBA Collection of
Medical Illustrations. These volumes were published one at a time over
several decades. They include illustrations of all types of disorders and
diseases as well as of normal anatomy. The whole set is available as a
collection:
The CIBA Collection of Medical Illustrations 8 volumes/12books $510.00
Amazon
These volumes can also be found on eBay at various prices.
Atlas of Topographical and Applied Human Anatomy
Eduard Pernkopf
Although this German atlas is considered to be the finest ever produced, it has become controversial due to its recently discovered Nazi origins. The author was a Nazi and holocaust victims may have been used as specimens and models. I read somewhere that it has been banned from sale in the U.S. I don't know if that is true but it doesn't seem to be easily available.
Here are some links with more info:
Article by David J. Williams - (a detailed history with some illustrations)
From "A Practical Guide to Ethical Theory" by Richard Field
1st editions:
Vol 1 1937 - General Matters, Chest and Pectoral Limb
(Book 1 - General Topographic Anatomy)
(Book 2 - Topographical and Stratigraphical Anatomy of the Chest and Pectoral Limbs)
Vol 2 1941 - (2 books) Abdomen, Pelvis, and Pelvic Limb
Vol 3 1952 - The Neck
Vol 4 - Topographical and Stratigraphical Anatomy of the Head
(Book 1 - 1957, Book 2 -1960)
2nd edition - 1963 2 volumes
Vol 1 - Head and Neck - 356 pages, 332 illustrations
Vol 2 - Thorax, Abdomen, Extremities - 421 pages, 378 illustrations
Edited by Dr. Helmut Ferner
Published by WB Saunders Co. - Philadelphia/London
3rd Edition - 1989 Urban & Schwarzenberg 2 volumes
Vol 1 - Head and Neck - 403 pages, 298 color, 118 b&w illustrations
Vol 2 - Thorax, Abdomen, Extremeties - 375 pages, 367 color 216 b&w illus
(saw this set go for $396.00 on eBay 03/16/00 with 19 bids)
Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body
Johannes W. Rohen, Chihiro Yokochi, Elke Lutjen-Drecoll
This is a photographic atlas. This is what everything actually looks like, which is interesting and may be more useful for medical students, but much messier looking than the drawings found in most atlases.
1st edition - 1983
2nd edition - 1988
3rd edition - 1993 484 pages
4th edition - 1998 hardback $64.95
published by Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins ISBN: 0683304925
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
5th edition - March 1, 2002
528 pages 1158 illustrations, hardback $68.95
Published by Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins ISBN: 0-7817-3194-1
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
Atlas of Human Anatomy - Johannes Sobotta (1869 - 1945)
Well-respected German atlas with exceptional illustrations. Various editions are in sets of 2 or 3 volumes. In addition to the German editions, there are English editions with nomenclature in English, English editions with nomenclature in Latin, and Arab, French, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish editions.
1st edition was published in 1904
1928 3 vols Johannes Sobotta, J Playfair McMurrich
4th English edition 1936 3 vols editor J Playfair McMurrich
9th English edition 1974 (based on 17th German Edition)
In 3 volumes:
Vol. 1 - Regions, Bones, Ligaments, Joints, and Muscles
Vol. 2 - Visceral Anatomy
Vol. 3 - Central Nervous System, Autonomic Nervous System,
Sense Organs and Skin, Peripheral Nerves and Vessels
11th English edition 1990
12th English edition November 1996 $170.00 (2 volumes) 820 pages
Edited by R. Putz, R. Pabst, Anna M. Taylor
Publisher: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins ISBN: 0683300474
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
Also on CD-ROM:
Amazon.com
13th English edition December 15, 2001 hardback $170.00 (2 volumes) 833 pages
Edited by R. Putz, R. Pabst
Publisher: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins ISBN: 0781731755
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
Also on CD-ROM:
Amazon.com
This atlas is in three volumes. Vol 1 is General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System, Volume 2 is Neck and Internal Organs, and Volume 3 is Head and Neuroanatomy. I have not yet seen this atlas, but it looks to be a very significant work. More info can be found at the publisher's website here: www.thieme.com/thiemeatlasofanatomy/
Atlas of Anatomy - General Anatomy and Musculoskelatal System
Editors: Michael Shuenke MD, PhD, Erik Shulte MD, Udo Shumacher MD,
Edward D. Lamperti, PhD, Lawrence M Ross MD PhD.
1st edition July 24, 2005, 554 pages, 1694 illustrations
Publisher: Thieme Medical Publishers - www.thieme.com
Hardback: $115.00 ISBN: 1588903583
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
Paperback: $64.95 ISBN: 1588903877
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
Atlas of Anatomy - Neck and Internal Organs
1st edition June 2006, 360 pages, 760 illustrations
Atlas of Anatomy - Head and Neuroanatomy
1st edition December 2006, 420 pages, 960 illustrations
Albinus, Bernhard Siegfried - (1697 - 1770)
The Anatomy Coloring Book - Wynn Kapit, Lawrence M. Elson
A popular teaching tool.
Barrons Atlas of Anatomy - 1997 104 pages
Bassett Atlas of Human Anatomy 1989
Bidloo, Godefridi - Anatomia Humani Corporis - 1685
Calais-Germain, Blandine - Anatomy of Movement more info
Cheselden, William - The Anatomy of the Human Body
1st American edition 1795 350 pages with 40 copperplates
Cinelnikov, R - Russian, 3 volumes 1963
Cutter
The New Analytic Anatomy, Physiology and Hygeine, Human and Comparative
Calvin Cutter, M.D.
1870 J.B. Lippencott, Philadelphia
1846 Boston BB Mussey & Co.
1850 Boston Benjamin B Mussey & Co.
1854 466 pages 150 engravings
2nd Book (2nd edition?) - 1871/1872 J.B. Lippencott, Philadelphia
Gosling
Human Anatomy, A Text and Colour Atlas
Gosling, et al
2nd edition 1990 Gower Medical Publishing
has photos and drawings
Gray's
There are many versions of Gray's Anatomy available. Henry Gray began publishing his Anatomy books in England in the 1800's. A book that is very commonly found in US bookstores is a reprint of an ancient obsolete edition, known as "The Classic Collector's Edition" which is not really an atlas (or a "collector's edition" - you can get it for a quarter at a garage sale) and has just a few black and white line drawings. For some reason this has remained a very popular book and it is what many people think of as Gray's Anatomy (and what many think of as an Atlas of Human Anatomy). I suppose it has some value but it is nothing like the Atlases described above. Here is a page about it at Amazon.com.
Meanwhile, Gray's Anatomy has continued to be revised and published as a very serious text. I do not list it with the other atlases above as I am not familiar with it and I have the impression that it may be a bit more than just an atlas. But probably it belongs in the company of the major atlases listed above. There are British and American editions and the British editions seem to be more respected. Here is some info on the current one:
Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Medicine and Surgery
38th British Edition - August 1995 Churchill Livingstone 2092 pages
Read about it or order it at Amazon.com
Johns Hopkins Atlas of Functional Human Anatomy
3rd edition 1986 paperback 132 pages
Kapandji, Ibrahim Adalbert - Physiology of the Joints
Kapit, Wyn / Elson, Lawrence M.
The Anatomy Coloring Book
2nd edition July 1993 161 pages $19.99 Addison Wesley ISBN:0064550168
Amazon
Alexander Lane - Functional Human Anatomy
Maclise, Joseph - Atlas of Surgical Anatomy
1851 London 86 pages, 35 plates
1851 Philadelphia 68 plates
1859
1870 London 68 color plates
Melloni
Ranga/Dimitiru
Atlas of Human Anatomy
HC 288p Bucharest, Romania 1993
Prof. Viorel Ranga, Prof. Radu Dimitriu
Sinelnikov, R.D. - A Russian atlas, available in English and other languages.
Smith
Anatomical Atlas Illustrative of the Structure of the Human Body
Henry Smith, MD under the Supervision of William E Horner, MD
published Blanchard & Lea, Philadelphia, 1859
Spalteholz
Hand Atlas of Human Anatomy - Werner Spalteholz
4th edition - 1923
Vol 1 Bones, Joints, Ligaments
Vol 2 Regions, Muscles, Fascial, Heart, Blood Vessels
Vol 3 Viscera, Brain, Nerves, Sense Organs
7th edition 3 vols Published by Lippencott
Stone, Robert J, Stone, Judith A.
Atlas of Skeletal Muscles
This is collection of black and white drawings, each one showing one
muscle attached to the skeleton.
2nd edition - June 1997
3rd edition - July 1999 ($34.10) Spiral bound McGraw Hill ISBN: 0072903325
Amazon
TIME / Rand McNally Atlas of the Body
1980 160 pages
Toldt
An Atlas of Human Anatomy for Students and Physicians
Carl Toldt, M.D. (1840-1920)
1st edition 1919
reissued in 2 volumes in 1926
2nd edition Oct 1928
Reprinted January 1941, April 1942, September 1944
nice illustrations, all in black and white, except for some red coloring on
some muscles
Tsiaris, Alexander and Werth, Barry -
The Architecture and Design of Man and Woman: The Marvel of the Human Body Revealed
Amazon
Vesalius
Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) published a book in 1543 called
De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem
(On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books).
The book is in Latin, seven volumes, about 700 pages, with over 200 beautiful
illustrations. This is one of the most classic of all medical books
and also a classic of Rennaisance graphic art. For this book, Vesalius is
considered to be the "father of human anatomy". Some say that modern medicine
began with the publication of this book. There is a reproduction of the
whole book available on CD-ROM (see below) and it looks like the Norman
Publishing Company is working on publishing an English translation of the
whole book in several volumes (see below). There are other books
containing just the illustrations. The Dover book is widely available and
very affordable.
On the Fabric of the Human Body Book 1 : A Translation of De Humani Corporis Fabrica
Libri Septem (Norman Orthopedic Series, No. 4) by Andreas Vesalius
Hardback, $225.00 Norman Publishing
Amazon
On the Fabric of the Human Body, Book II : The Ligaments & Muscles (Norman Anatomy Series, 2)
by Andreas Vesalius, William Frank Richardson, John Burd Carman
Hardback, $250.00, Norman Publishing
Amazon
The Illustrations from the Works of Andreas Vesalius of Brussels; With Annotations and Translations,
a Discussion of the Plates and Their Background, by Andreas Vesalius - Dover $14.95
Amazon
(This is a reissue of a hardback edition of this book published in 1950
by World Publishing)
De Humani Corporis Fabrica - CD-ROM - 1998 Octavo Corporation $75.00 -
Amazon
Some Vesalius Links:
Malasprina Great Books - Page on Andreas Vesalius
Vesalius Page at Oliver Ocasek Regional Medical Information Center
Vesalius - University of Virginia
Warfel, John H.
The Head, Neck and Trunk
6th edition 1993 Lea & Feibiger 143 pages Amazon
The Extremeties
6th edition 1992 Lea & Feibiger 140 pages Amazon
This 2-volume set consists of very clear line drawings, each showing one muscle and its motor points.
Wolf-Heidegger
5th edition 1999 2 volumes
Calais-Germaine - Anatomy of Movement
Clemente 1st edition
Clemente 2nd edition
Clemente 3rd edition
Clemente 4th edition
Grant's 1st edition (1944 reprint)
Grant's 8th edition
Grant's 9th edition
McMinn 1st edition
Myers - Anatomy Trains
Netter's 1st edition (50 cents at a library booksale!)
Netter - CIBA Collection - Vol 8 - Musculoskeletal System - Part 1
Quiring/Warfel - Head Neck and Trunk 2nd edition
Rohen/Yokochi 3rd edition ($1 at a library booksale)
Sobotta 9th English edition 1974 Vol 1
Stone - Atlas of Skeletal Muscles 2nd edition
Toldt 2nd edition Vol 1
Tortora - Principles of Anatomy and Physiology - 8th edition
Vesalius - Illustrations - Dover
Acland's DVD Atlas of Human Anatomy
Virtual Hospital - Atlas of Human Anatomy in Cross-Section
Human Anatomy Web Sites from Go.com
Vesalius.com - The Internet Resource for Surgical Education
"The Brain and the Visual Arts"
A large list of anatomy books from medicalschool.com
A List of Anatomy Books (A-Ten)
eBay search "human anatomy" titles and descriptions
Anatomical Chart Company
Source for Bachin Anatomical Charts and many other charts and anatomical products.
View-Master Stereoscopic Atlas of Human Anatomy
Human Anatomy Online - innerbody.com
Human Anatomy Online - SUNY Downstate Medical Center - Interactive Dissector