WALKER, Alexander.
Beauty: Illustrated Chiefly by an Analysis and Classification of Beauty in Woman.
London: Effingham Wilson , 1836.
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First Edition of Alexander Walker's Beauty
First edition of this treatise on female beauty. Royal octavo, bound in full modern morocco by Taffin with gilt titles and floral tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, floral onlays and tooling to the front and rear panels, top edge gilt, gilt turn-ins, floral onlay inner dentelles, silk moire endpapers with additional floral endpapers, frontispiece, illustrated by drawings from life. In near fine condition with some rubbing. Illustrated by Henry Howard.
Alexander Walker was a 19th-century Scottish physiologist, writer, and editor whose works explored the intersections of anatomy, aesthetics, and moral philosophy, often through a lens of early pseudo-scientific thought. He was the founder and editor of 'The European Review', a short-lived multilingual journal published in England that brought together contributions from prominent figures like Goethe and Cuvier, reflecting Walker's vision of a pan-European intellectual forum that bridged literature, science, and philosophy. His most widely known and controversial book, 'Beauty: Illustrated Chiefly by an Analysis and Classification of Beauty in Woman' is a physiognomic and pseudo-scientific treatise that attempts to categorize female beauty through anatomical and racialized frameworks. Drawing on Enlightenment-era theories of aesthetics and early 19th-century medical discourse, Walker presents beauty as both a measurable and moral ideal, often aligning physical characteristics with character traits and cultural hierarchies.
Beauty: Illustrated Chiefly by an Analysis and Classification of Beauty in Woman.
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