Statistics of phrenology : being a sketch of the progress and present state of that science in the British Islands.

  • Hewett Watson
Date:
1836
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Statistics of phrenology : being a sketch of the progress and present state of that science in the British Islands. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    Avroiig in allowinj^ 505. for the whole. Combe's Answer to Jcffrej', and two or three others, soUl pretty hirgely ; but some of these works appear to have had an extremely limited circidation, being chiefly of a personal or local interest. The average sale must consequently be taken at a low rate, say two hundred and fifty copies of twenty- five pamphlets. This gives 6251. for 6250 books or pamphlets. Tlie total number and value of phrenological works sold, according to tliesc somewhat rude estimates, is the follow- ing : — Works. Editions. Volumes. Value. First Class 17 34- 34,000 .£9,250 0 Second - 9 ]7 17,000 3,800 0 Third - 6 6 7,000 4,787 10 Fourth - 25 57 25 82 6,250 625 0 61-,250 ^^18,462 10 Vimont's w'ork is properly a French publication, and omitted on such account. All the publications of the present year(1836)are also omitted,except Macnish'slntroduction to Phrenology, which would likewise have been left out, on account of its recent date, had not a statement been made in tlie Phrenological Journal, that fifteen hundred copies had been sold -within the first two months after pub lication. We cannot, therefore, err on the side of exag- geration, in adding it to the list of works estimated to average one thousand copies each. The various editions of Combe's works are estimated at one thousand copies each, making a total of nineteen thousand. In reality this is scarcely more than half the actual sales; for Mr. Combe's Testimonials, presented to the Civic Council of Edinburgh, show the numbers thus: — Essays and System w.ffi^^L»s/py.>gM^)|iw^ • '^''
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