The earliest book on body language can be traced back to Ray L. Birdwhistell’s publication “Introduction to Kinesics”, which was published in 1952. This book put forward the early developments of body language and served as a starting point for the research and understanding of non-verbal communication.
Birdwhistel categorized his work into three basic categories:
Posture and Movement: This focused on the practical movements associated with individuals, such as facial expressions, hand gestures and other physical movements used in communication.
Gestures: This looked at the mutually understood movements and gestures used between two people, such as the handshake or shoulder pat.
Behavior Patterns: This explored the practical patterns of behavior by two people and how they naturally related to each other, such as how two people look at each other when speaking or how they walk side-by-side.
This early work by Birdwhistell is considered instrumental in the development of modern body language and the understanding of non-verbal communication. His work has been widely discussed and built upon by scientists throughout the years.
In addition to Birdwhistel’s work, there are numerous other books about body language that have been published over the years. Some notable books include:
- "Body Language for Dummies" by Elizabeth Kuhnke
- "The Definitive Book of Body Language" by Barbara and Allan Pease
- "The Power of Body Language" by Tonya Reiman
- "Reading People" by Jo-Ellan Dimitrius
- "The Language of the Body" by Alexander Lowen.
These books are just a few of the many books available on the subject of body language. With so many books to choose from, anyone interested in learning more about body language should be able to find a book that fits their needs.
