Guide to Finger-Print Identification

Faulds, Henry, L.F.P.S.

Published by Wood, Mitchell and Company, Hanley, 1905

About this Item

8vo. An incredibly scarce early volume on the science of finger prints from one of its pioneers. "Henry Faulds is credited with publishing the first paper (in Nature, 1880) on the use of fingerprints for identification. While it is controversial, many believe that Faulds was the first European to suggest that fingerprints could be valuable in criminal investigations." Bound in red cloth, with titling in gilt. 80pp. Square tight binding. Clean interior. Mild rubbing and edge wear. "Whilst accompanying a friend (American archaeologist, Edward S. Morse) to an archaeological dig he noticed how the delicate impressions left by craftsmen could be discerned in ancient clay fragments. Examining his own fingertips and those of friends, he became convinced that the pattern of ridges was unique to each individual. "Shortly after these observations his hospital was broken into. The local police arrested a member of staff whom Faulds believed to be innocent. Determined to exonerate the man, he compared the fingerprints left behind at the crime scene to those of the suspect and found them to be different. On the strength of this evidence the police agreed to release the suspect." - wiki a handsome, and quite scarce copy of this early treatise on the science of finger-printing.

Seller Inventory # 17985

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Guide to Finger-Print Identification
• Publisher: Wood, Mitchell and Company, Hanley
• Publication Date: 1905
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • History
  • Medicine
  • Science