Explaining the key processes shaping size in nature, society, and technology, Smil busts myths around proportions – from bodies to paintings and the so-called golden ratio tells us what Jonathan Swift got wrong in Gulliver’s Travels the giant Brobdingnagian’s legs would buckle under their enormous weight and dives headfirst into the most contentious issue in ergonomics: the size of airplane seats.

It is no exaggeration to say this fascinating and wide-ranging tour de force will change the way you look at absolutely everything.