Hypnotisme et Spritisme - C Lombroso 1911 - Ernest Flammarion, Paris Scarce work of hypnotism, spiritualism, paranormal phenomena, mediums, haunted houses, by the father of modern criminology. In French, first published in 1910.   Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909) devised the now-outmoded theory that criminality is determined by physiological traits. Called the father of modern criminology, he concentrated attention on the study of the individual offender.

In 1876 he published a pamphlet setting forth his theory of the origin of criminal traits. In the study, later enlarged into the famous L'uomo delinquente (5th ed., 3 vol., 1896–97; partial tr. as Criminal Man, 1911), he compared anthropological measurements and developed the concept of the atavistic, or born, criminal. In his later works, less importance was given to that concept. Although the scientific validity of the concept has been questioned by other criminologists, Lombroso is still credited with turning attention from the legalistic study of crime to the scientific study of the criminal. Lombroso advocated humane treatment of criminals and limitations on the use of the death penalty.

In 1910, the sociologist Gustave Le Bon wrote the introduction to the French edition of Lombroso’s last finished work, published posthumously in 1909, of researches into hypnotic and spiritualistic phenomena, presenting a mass of facts, figures and first-hand accounts of a sort typical of the positivistic approach, in favour of ghosts, luminous materialisations and ectoplasms of which Lombroso himself had been a spectator in the course of innumerable spiritualistic séances. Le Bon’s lapidary comment on what appeared as Lombroso’s slide into irrationality was that, ‘from the moment that he began to study spiritualistic phenomena, his science deserted him and was replaced by endless credulity’.

Reference: web pd.org

pp. [6] 308 [2].
  In period half red morocco and marbled boards, raised bands, gilt spine.   Condition: Corners rubbed; bookplate on pastedown, text yellowed with very occasional foxing. A very good clean and handsomely bound copy.   Ref: 102063   Price: HK$ 1,800