Book excerpt: This the fourth edition, was expanded and enlarged from the 3rd Ed. of 1848, with beautiful hand coloured plates, with eight by George Catlin. Prichard directs his profound researches to the diverse physical aspects characterised in all of the races of humankind, concluding that all human races are of one species and family, a precursory opinion for all modern ethnology. Covered in this seminal work are Egyptians, Semites, Chinese, Indians, Africans, Abyssinians, Malaysians, Indigenous North Americans, Eskimos and so forth. This historically important work, Along with Prichard's research into the physical history of humankind, constituted the cornerstone of anthropology in England.