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STOPES, Marie (1880-1958). Contraception (Birth Control) Its Theory, History And Practice A Manual for The Medical and Legal Professions By Marie Carmichael Stopes Doctor of Science, London; Doctor of Philosophy, Munich; Fellow of University College, London; Fellow of the Linnean and Geological Societies, and The Royal Society of Literature; Author of ?Married Love?. With an Introduction by Prof. Sir William Bayliss, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S. and Introductory Notes by Sir James Barr, M.D., LL.D., F.R.C.P. Dr C. Rolleston, Dr Jane Hawthorne & Obscurus.
London: John Bale, Sons & Danielsson, Limited 1923. 1st Edition 2nd Impression [1st Impression published in June 1923, 2nd Impression in December 1923]. 8vo (223x150mm), xxiii, 418pp, [photograph plates I and II bound in the text, plates III-IV bound at the rear]. Missing original dust jacket. Good.
Original green cloth binding with gold gilt lettering on the front board and spine, with small banding decoration on the spine as well. Rubbing at the corners of the boards and head and base of the spine. Damage (likely water) and the very base of both boards, only very minor at the rear board and shown by discolouration, more prominent on the front where there is discolouration and a bend to the board itself. However, this does not affect the structural integrity of the book and is purely cosmetic. Very minor weakness at the join between the front board and spine, with a small split along the front pastedown at this join - again, this is currently just a cosmetic issue but could get worse with rough handling of the book, so some care should be taken. Staining at the base of the boards is also present on up to around page 203, where it becomes no longer noticeable. Remarkably, this is the only damage to the interior of the book, with the pages otherwise clean with foxing only visible on the rear pastedown. Pencil marks from a previous bookseller on the front pastedown.
Marie Stopes was a pioneering British scientist and women?s rights activist, she was the first female member of academic faculty at Manchester University, and founded the first birth-control clinic in Britain. It is essential to mention that while Stopes was a pioneer in many respects, she was also an advocate for the racist scientific practice of Eugenics. While this book on contraception was transformative in the education of contraception for the public, any readers should be aware of the context that Stopes - at the time - was running the ?Society for Constructive Birth Control and Racial Progress?. Stopes? work on birth control needs to be viewed in the appropriate context and the understanding that while it was a step forward for the reproductive rights of women, it was not being doing with completely good intentions.
This book was Stopes? critical work on the practicalities and legalities of contraception. In the work, she argues that for British women the aim should be to have happy and, critically, desired babies. The book includes diagrams and detailed descriptions on the uses of various methods of contraception and was described by Garrison-Morton as ?The first important English handbook on birth control?.
As an Edinburgh based bookseller, we love the opportunity to showcase the work of the many fantastic Scottish Scientists whose work has significantly impacted our understanding of the world and the lives of the public. When we started, this book - Contraception by Marie Stopes - was near the top of our list to make up our ?core stock? of items we want to try and have available at all times, as it?s a critical piece in the history of women?s medicine and we feel it deserves reading in the appropriate context which we hope we have provided in the previous paragraphs.
Seller Inventory # ABE-1765202933838
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