GALTON, Francis (1822–1911)

First edition. – Galton, a first cousin of Charles Darwin, is regarded as the founder of eugenics and the word finds its first appearance in this book (page 24). In this important work, Galton shows “the results of his experiments on the relations between the powers of visual imagery and of abstract thought, of the associations between the elements of different sense departments, of the correlation of mental traits, the associations of words, and the times taken in making associations.” (Garrison-Morton) The mounted photograph shows the use of composite portraiture to arrive at an idea of the typical features of a particular group (consumptives, criminals, etc.). See Chapter XII: 'Photographic researches and portraiture’ in Karl Pearson, Life of Francis Galton, vol. II, pp 283-333.

Collation: Pp xii, (2), 387, (1) blank. With a mounted frontispiece photograph and 4 plates, one of which is a double-page chromolithograph.

Binding: Publisher’s plum cloth, gilt lettering.

Provenance: Svante Ödman (1836–1927) with his book plate and signature. Professor of Psychiatry at Lund University. He had a great library in philosophy and various other fields. His psychiatric library, at the time the greatest in Scandinavia, was donated to the Lund University Library.

References: Garrison-Morton 230; Norman 866; DSB, V, pp 265-66. Charles Wood. Waller 3403.