[COMBE, GEORGE]. The Constitution of Man Considered in Relation to External Objects. Edinburgh: John Anderson, MDCCCXXVIII. [1828].
FIRST EDITION. Leather-bound; hardcover; octavo (18.5 x 11 x 2 cm); pp. xii, 319. English text. Bound in contemporary half calf; spine gilt; marbled paper-covered boards; printed footnotes; tables in the text; rear appendix. Printed by P. Neill. Condition: VERY GOOD. Binding tight, secure, and square. Covers well-preserved with some light rubbing to boards. Interior with some light scattered foxing, the title-page with a small erasure hole to head. An excellent first edition copy of this scarce title.
Notes: First edition of George Combe's landmark 19th-century work that popularised phrenology and argued that human happiness depends on conforming to natural laws. Combe proposed that physical, organic, and moral laws govern existence, and understanding these dictates behavioural, educational, and moral improvements. Combe founded the Edinburgh Phrenological Society in 1820. Jacyna calls this book his most important and influential work. Cooter 238.47. Oxford DNB, L. S. Jacyna, "Combe [Comb], George (17881858)".
