The Face

Equal parts gripping and scholarly… a timely book that gets to the heart of contemporary society – Katy Hessel * Sunday Times *An elegant and engaging history… at its most compelling when it becomes polemical, showing how the sexism, classism and racism that informs how we have long perceived faces is reinforced today – Max Liu * Financial Times *An expansive exploration of the human face and the extraordinary burden it has been made to carry… a meticulously researched and unsettling book, and Bound-Alberti’s overarching message is poignant – Zoë Huxford * New Statesman *Enjoyable, fascinating, impressive and deeply intellectual... weighty, political and beautifully written – Gabriel Weston * Lancet *Compelling, scholarly, striking… an elegant history – Rose Beer * Evening Standard *Fascinating… a distinctive take on what we don’t normally appreciate as a “cultural object” * Telegraph best book of 2026 *Stimulating… Bound-Alberti’s roving narrative touches on everything from eugenics to makeup to the first selfie… It makes for a fun and thought-provoking rumination on what it means to take each other at face value * Publisher’s Weekly *The Face has blown me away. It’s utterly fascinating, beautifully written, scholarly yet entertaining and I completely love it. I couldn’t admire Fay Bound-Alberti more – Joanna LumleyLike the double-faced god Janus, Bound-Alberti’s piercing gaze is split between our rich past and our uncertain future, enabling her to offer some fascinating insights about the nature of human identity. She uses both the wide-angle lens and the magnifying glass to dazzling effect. A compelling and thought-provoking book that is sure to linger in the reader’s mind – Lindsey Fitzharris, New York Times Bestselling author of The Facemaker

Dr. Fay Bound-Alberti founded the Centre for Technology and the Body at King’s College London where she leads Interface, the world’s first and only multi-million-pound project examining technologies of the face. Fay is often interviewed for TV and radio, including the BBC, ABC and CNN, and she has written for publications including the Lancet, TIME magazine, the Guardian and Times Literary Supplement. She lives with prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, and is based in London.

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