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The Sexual Life of our Time in its Relations to Modern Civilization ([1906] 1909)

- June 27, 2018 in freud, homosexuality, iwan bloch, Marquis de sade, psychology, sex, sexuality

Encyclopaedic survey of sexual knowledge exploring topics ranging from spiritual love to wild love, traditional marriage to foot fetish, erotic painting to morning erection.

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The Sexual Life of our Time in its Relations to Modern Civilization ([1906] 1909)

- June 27, 2018 in freud, homosexuality, iwan bloch, Marquis de sade, psychology, sex, sexuality

Encyclopaedic survey of sexual knowledge exploring topics ranging from spiritual love to wild love, traditional marriage to foot fetish, erotic painting to morning erection.

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Lofty Only in Sound: Crossed Wires and Community in 19th-Century Dreams

- April 5, 2017 in civil war, Culture & History, dream, dreams, Featured Articles, paranormal, poetry, psychology, Science & Medicine, telepathy, us civil war

Alicia Puglionesi on a curious case of supposed dream telepathy at the end of the US Civil War, and the important role dreams played in how a traumatised nation responded to the conflict.

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Phrenology Diagrams from Vaught’s Practical Character Reader (1902)

- March 19, 2013 in character, collections, diagrams, Images, Images-20th, Images-People, Images-Science, Images: Miscellaneous, phrenology, pseudo-science, psychology

Illustrations from Vaught’s Practical Character Reader, a book on phrenology by L. A. Vaught published in 1902. 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. You can see the book in its entirety, including many more diagrams, over in our post in the Texts collection. (All images taken from the book housed at the Internet Archive, contributed by the Library of Congress. Hat-tip to Pinterest user Lisa M. Finnegan.) HELP TO [...]

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Vaught’s Practical Character Reader (1902)

- March 19, 2013 in character, collections, phrenology, pseudo-science, psychology, texts, Texts: 20th, Texts: Non-fiction, Texts: Science

Vaught’s Practical Character Reader, by L. A. Vaught; 1902; L. A. Vaught, Chicago. 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. You can see a selection of the book’s images over in our post in the Images collection. The book is housed at the Internet Archive, contributed by the [...]

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Geometrical psychology, or, The science of representation (1887)

- April 15, 2012 in benjamin betts, consciousness, geometry, mathematics, non-article, psychology, texts, Texts: 19th, Texts: Non-fiction, Texts: Science

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Geometrical Psychology, or, The Science of Representation an Abstract of the Theories and Diagrams of B. W. Betts, by Louisa S. Cook; 1887; G. Redway, London.

Geometrical psychology, or, The science of representation: an abstract of the theories and diagrams of B. W. Betts details Benjamin Bett’s remarkable attempts to mathematically model human consciousness through geometric forms. From the Introduction:

The symbolic forms which Mr. Betts has evolved through his system of Representation resemble, when developed in two dimensions, conventionalised but very scientifically and beautifully conventionalised leaf-outlines. When in more than two dimensions they approximate to the forms of flowers and crystals. …. The fact that he has accidentally portrayed plant-forms when he was studying human evolution is an assurance to Mr. Betts of the fitness of the symbols he has developed, as it affords presumptive evidence that the laws he is studying intuitively admit of universal application.


See the diagrams here in our Images section.

Open Library link



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  • Choregraphie (1701)

  • A Burlesque Translation of Homer (1797)

  • Geometrical psychology, or, The science of representation (1887)

  • Aino Folktales (1888)

  • Welsh Fairytales and Other Stories (1894)

  • Musaeum Clausum (1684)

  • An Account of a Fire-Ball, Seen at Hornsey, by William Hirst (1753)

  • Some Account of a Sheep Having a Monstrous Horn Growing from His Throat (1755)

  • A Theory of Pure Design: Harmony, Balance, Rhythm (1907)

  • An Alphabet of History (1905)

  • Natural History of Shakespeare; Being Selections of Flowers, Fruits, and Animals (1877)

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  • Pirates (1922)

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  • English As She Is Spoke (1884)

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  • The Book of Topiary (1904)

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  • Letters From A Cat (1879)

  • Quarles' Emblems (1886)

  • The Medical Aspects of Death, and the Medical Aspects of the Human Mind (1852)

  • An account of the late improvements in galvanism (1803)

  • Armata: a fragment (1817)

  • <img src="http://publicdomainreview.org/wp-content/plugins/category-grid-view-gallery/includes/timthumb.php?src=http://publicdomainreview.org/2012/04/15/geometrical-psychology-or-the-science-of-representation-1887/http%3A//publicdomainreview.org/files/2011/08/frenchfairytales.jpg&h=200&w=200&zc=1&q=75%22 alt="Old French Fairytales (1920) " title="Old French Fairytales (1920) "/>

    Old French Fairytales (1920)






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