With Malformed, Give the Gift of Medical Oddities

What do you get for the person who has everything (and anyone with the last name “Sedaris”)? A cache of formalin-preserved human brains, of course—or at least exquisite photos of them. Such is the creeptastic achievement of photographer Adam Voorhes and journalist Alex Hannaford‘s Malformed, new from powerHouse Books. The book lingers on the sulci and gyri of human brains assembled by the Austin State Hospital—né the Texas State Lunatic Asylum—and traces the sordid history of the collection.