Description:
Large 8vo (26cm), Vol. 1 only, treating of African races. Rebacked in brown half calf with original red, blue and white marbled boards. Five imitation raised bands with gilt tooling and lettering to spine, boards have been reconsolidated around edges, still showing signs of heavy wear and usage. viii + 774pp, richly and graphically illustrated with engravings throughout the text, frontispiece also present. Interally good and generally clean and bright, with occasional stains not affecting the text. Marbled textblock edges lightly soiled and with a few small chips.John George Wood was an English curate and natural history writer who helped promote the popular 19th-century appeal of his subject. The present work is a weighty, detailed and lavishly illustrated account of the lives and cultures of African human races unknown to most of Western society at the time. Despite being unscientific and controversial for its condescending depiction of uncivilised 'savage' human races, the work had important… Read More