An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species. To which are added, Strictures On Lord Kames's Discourse on the Original Diversity of Mankind. A New Edition. With Some Additional Notes, By a Gentleman of the University of Edinburgh
by SMITH (Samuel Stanhope):
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
LONDON, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Philadelphia Printed, And Edinburgh Reprinted, For C. Elliot, Edinburgh; and C. Elliot and T. Kay..., London, 1788. 8vo, 213 x 124, pp. 217 [218 blank, 219 - 220 adverts],contemporary tree calf, gilt rules across spine, red morocco label. A very good to fine copy.. Samuel Stanhope Smith (1750 - 1819) was Professor of Moral Philosophy and later (1795 - 1819) President of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton). In this book, he takes issue with Kames's view that the Eskimoes and American Indians were inferior races and the result of a second order creation. Smith instead argued that the variations among mankind are due to environmental factors. The entry in Wikiepedia records, "Smith was the first systematic expositor of Scottish Common Sense Realism in America. An empiricist in his anthropology and a Lamarckian before Lamarck, he sought to mediate between science and religious orthodoxy. In his work, Stanhope Smith expressed progressive views on marriage and egalitarian ideas about race and slavery. The second edition of his Essay on the Causes of Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810) became important as a powerful argument against the increasing racism of 19th-century ethnology.[7] He opposed the racial classifications of naturalists such as Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, and Carl Linnaeus.[8] In this text, his attempt to explain the variety of physical appearances among humans involved a strongly environmental outlook. An example he provides involves "the blacks in the southern states." Smith noted that field slaves had darker skin pigmentation and other "African" features than did domestic slaves, and claimed that exposure to white, European culture through their 'civilized' masters had changed their anatomy as well." The 1811 edition of the work was reviewed at great length (and negatively) in The American Review of History and Politics. Sabin 84104.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- John Price Antiquarian Books (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 10135
- Title
- An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species. To which are added, Strictures On Lord Kames's Discourse on the Original Diversity of Mankind. A New Edition. With Some Additional Notes, By a Gentleman of the University of Edinburgh
- Author
- SMITH (Samuel Stanhope):
- Book Condition
- Used
- Publisher
- Philadelphia Printed, And Edinburgh Reprinted, For C. Elliot, Edinburgh; and C. Elliot and T. Kay..., London, 1788
- Keywords
- anthropology prose Scottish Enlightenment
- Bookseller catalogs
- anthropology;
Terms of Sale
John Price Antiquarian Books
Payment by cheque, credit card, cash. New customers will be invoiced pro forma. Books may be returned within two weeks for any reason; refund within 1 month for any reason; negotiable after that, but no returns after one year.
About the Seller
John Price Antiquarian Books
Biblio member since 2006
LONDON
About John Price Antiquarian Books
I work from home, but I am happy to see customers at almost any time by appointment.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...