Empire of skulls phrenology, the Fowler family and a new nation's quest to unlock the secrets of the mind

"During the contentious and progressive antebellum era, the Fowler family preached a gospel of self-improvement to a nation eager to embrace its foundational beliefs. For the first time, this new “science” of phrenology offered all Americans the ability to improve their station by unlocking their in...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Stob, Paul (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: Los Angeles, California : Counterpoint, 2026.
Edition:First Counterpoint edition.
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001 on1529915312
003 OCoLC
005 20260410104100.0
008 250731s2026 caua e 0|| 0 eng d
020 |a 1640096833 
020 |a 9781640096837 
035 |a (OCoLC)1529915312 
040 |a YDX  |b eng  |c YDX  |e rda  |d HBP 
082 0 4 |a 139  |2 23 
100 1 |a Stob, Paul,  |e author. 
245 1 0 |a Empire of skulls :  |b phrenology, the Fowler family and a new nation's quest to unlock the secrets of the mind /  |c Paul Stob. 
250 |a First Counterpoint edition. 
264 1 |a Los Angeles, California :  |b Counterpoint,  |c 2026. 
300 |a 324 pages :  |b illustrations ;  |c 24 cm. 
336 |a text  |b txt  |2 rdacontent 
337 |a unmediated  |b n  |2 rdamedia 
338 |a volume  |b nc  |2 rdacarrier 
504 |a Includes bibliographical references. 
520 |a "During the contentious and progressive antebellum era, the Fowler family preached a gospel of self-improvement to a nation eager to embrace its foundational beliefs. For the first time, this new “science” of phrenology offered all Americans the ability to improve their station by unlocking their innate mental and emotional truths. Revered politicians, quirky celebrities, infamous criminals, and social outcasts all found their way to the Fowlers for skull readings. Brimming with the energy to change the world, the Fowlers connected phrenology to practically every aspect of life in the young nation -- from abolition to women's rights, temperance to prison reform, spiritualism and mesmerism to vegetarianism and sexual education. But there was a dark side to this fad and to the Fowlers, and soon nefarious forces co-opted this once-hopeful sensation to justify racism and xenophobia. Phrenology's complex history stands as a commentary on the dreams and follies of the American republic. Though phrenology (and the Fowlers) ran afoul of the tide of history, its aspirational insistence on an individual's ability to improve oneself became embedded in the fabric of the nation."--Amazon. 
600 3 0 |a Fowler family. 
650 0 |a Phrenology  |x History. 
650 0 |a Pseudoscience  |x History. 
650 0 |a Science  |x History  |y 19th century. 
655 7 |a Informational works.  |2 lcgft 
994 |a C0  |b PCB 
949 |a CCL  |b CadNFN  |c 139 St  |d i  |e 39241503934213  |f 816875  |g ddc  |j 04/14/2026 
999 |a 517559