The origin of civilisation and the primitive condition of man: mental and social condition of savages

By John Lubbock

Book Overview

How did civilisation begin, and at what cost? In John Lubbock's searching study of humanity's earliest stages, familiar assumptions are stripped away. It begins with first principles. First published in the high Victorian era, The Origin of Civilisation and the Primitive Condition of Man is a complete victorian anthropology classic: an early ethnology study that compares peoples, tools, customs, and belief in order to trace the origins of civilization. Moving between primitive social organization and primitive mental development, Lubbock tests the nineteenth century social theory of progress and asks what 'primitive' really means. Clear, argumentative, and richly evidential, it remains an academic research primary source as well as a compelling narrative of ideas for curious general readers. Its method is comparative and sceptical, drawing on the observations available to a nineteenth-century gentleman scholar. You can feel the arguments taking shape as evidence is weighed against inherited prejudice. Read today, it stands beside primitive culture E B Tylor and Herbert Spencer social evolution as a key document in the making of modern anthropology, with reflections that touch on stone age prehistory and the long afterlife of social classification. For anthropology students reference, historians of science, and collectors of non-fiction, it is an unabridged social science treatise worth returning to, whether shelved with classics or cited in seminars. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today -- a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9353800358
• ISBN13: 9789353800352
• Release Date: July 2019
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 652 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"