{"product_id":"an-organ-of-murder-courtney-e-thompson-9781978813069","title":"An Organ of Murder: Crime, Violence, and Phrenology in Nineteenth-Century America","description":"\u003cb\u003eFinalist for the 2022 Cheiron Book Prize​\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Organ of Murder\u003c\/i\u003e explores the origins of both popular and elite theories of criminality in the nineteenth-century United States, focusing in particular on the influence of phrenology. In the United States, phrenology shaped the production of medico-legal knowledge around crime, the treatment of the criminal within prisons and in public discourse, and sociocultural expectations about the causes of crime. The criminal was phrenology's ideal research and demonstration subject, and the courtroom and the prison were essential spaces for the staging of scientific expertise. In particular, phrenology constructed ways of \u003ci\u003elooking\u003c\/i\u003e as well as a \u003ci\u003elanguage\u003c\/i\u003e for identifying, understanding, and analyzing criminals and their actions. This work traces the long-lasting influence of phrenological visual culture and language in American culture, law, and medicine, as well as the practical uses of phrenology in courts, prisons, and daily life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Courtney E. Thompson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1978813066\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781978813069\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Rutgers University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/12\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 278\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.83lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2022","brand":"Courtney E. Thompson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44043979915519,"sku":"9781978813069","price":35.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_0f06ef28-463a-4654-86e7-eae7930f605d.jpg?v=1684970222","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/an-organ-of-murder-courtney-e-thompson-9781978813069","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}