[Pauw, Corneille de]:

$450 · Offered by William Reese Company

RECHERCHES PHILOSOPHIQUES SUR LES AMERICAINS, OU MEMOIRS INTERESSANTS POUR SERVIR A L'HISTOIRE DE L'ESPECE HUMAINE...AVEC UNE DISSERTATION SUR L'AMERIQUE & LES AMERICAINS, PAR DOM ... An important text in a major Enlightenment debate, in which some scholars, notably Pauw and Buffon, held that all American species were inherently weaker and inferior to European ones. It was to refute these arguments, in large part, that Jefferson wrote Notes on the State of Virginia. "The author endeavors to show the inferior character of everything American, especially the inhabitants, and his work provoked considerable controversy. It contains a very curious account of the 'Hermaphrodites de la Floride,' and the custom of 'Circoncision' and 'Infibulation'" - Sabin. This is a later edition, with the additional volume containing Pernetty's criticism of the work and Pauw's response.

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