Vaught's Practical Character Reader (Paperback)

L.A. Vaught

ISBN 13: 9798886011401

Published by Stark House Press, 2025

About this Item

Paperback. A book on phrenology by L. A. Vaught published in 1902, jam-packed with strange theory and a whole host of strange illustrations. As he confidently states in his Preface: The purpose of this book is to acquaint all with the elements of human nature and enable them to read these elements in all men, women and children in all countries. At least fifty thousand careful examinations have been made to prove the truthfulness of the nature and location of these elements. More than a million observations have been made to confirm the examinations. Therefore, it is given the world to be depended upon. Taken in its entirety it is absolutely reliable. Its facts can be completely demonstrated by all who will take the unprejudiced pains to do so. It is ready for use. It is practical. Use it.The theory that one can ascertain a person's character by the shape of their features is disturbing to say the least.-The Public Domain ReviewPublished by Chicago phrenologist L.A. Vaught, who confidently claims that "its facts can be completely demonstrated by all who will take the unprejudiced pains to do so," the book lays out the 42 known elements of human nature (including Acquisitiveness, Benevolence, Amativeness and Weight) and how they're made manifest in people's heads, noses, ears and chins.While the author expounds with conviction on "cruel eyes," "selfish ears" and "gross, sensual chins," the illustrator provides diagrams and pictures which have cemented the book as a classic in the genre of unintentional humor.-Alex Q. ArbuckleStaccato Crime Classic #12 Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9798886011401

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Vaught's Practical Character Reader (Paperback)
• Publisher: Stark House Press
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798886011401
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Phrenology — the pseudoscientific field of study premised on the theory that a person’s intellect, personality and character can be determined by the shape of his or her skull — was responsible for a host of ills during its heyday in the 19th century and gave a sheen of “scientific” and “biological” truth to racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination.

It was also responsible for the comically absurd illustrations and assertions found in Vaught’s Practical Character Reader, a 1902 volume that aimed to teach the public how to apply the principles of phrenology in judging people’s worth.

While the author expounds with conviction on “cruel eyes,” “selfish ears” and “gross, sensual chins,” the illustrator provides diagrams and pictures which have cemented the book as a classic in the genre of unintentional humor.

About the Author

Louis Allan Vaught was born on August 13, 1859, in Jackson, Missouri, the second youngest of a farming family of eight children. Interested in phrenology from an early age, he began teaching school in Kansas and learning everything he could on the subject. Vaught started delivering lectures and after one of them, met Mary “May” Ellen Reid who began managing and promoting his lecture circuits, soon becoming his wife. Two years after May’s death in 1900, Vaught married his young stenographer, Nettie McDowell, and that same year he published his only book, Vaught’s Practical Character Reader, a handbook for determining a person’s personality traits by examining their heads. Plagued from childhood by disease, Vaught died six months later at age 44 on May 5, 1903.