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Decoding the Hand: A History of Science, Medicine, and Magic
Not yet published
Expected 23 Dec 25The astonishing history of palmistry and biometrics—from occult physicians to the very foundations of modern science and medicine.
Why did Isaac Newton read books on chiromancy, the occult science of hand reading that revealed the secrets of the soul? Why did Charles Darwin claim that the hand gave humans dominion over all other species? Why did psychoanalyst Charlotte Wolff climb into the primate cages of the London Zoo, taking hundreds of delicate palm prints? Why did Francis Galton, the father of fingerprinting, take palm prints too? And why did world-leading geneticists study the geometry of palm lines in their search for the secrets of chromosomal syndromes?
Decoding the Hand is an astounding history of magic, medicine, and science, of an enduring search for how our bodily surfaces might reveal an inner self—a soul, a character, an identity. From sixteenth-century occult physicians influenced by the Kabbalah to twentieth-century geneticists, and from criminologists to eugenicists, award-winning historian Alison Bashford takes us on a remarkable journey into the strange world of hand readers, revealing how signs on the hand—its shape, lines, marks, and patterns—have been elaborately decoded over the centuries. Sometimes learned, sometimes outrageously deceptive, sometimes earnest, and, more often than we ever expected, medically and scientifically trained, these palm readers of the past prove to be essential links in the human quest to peer into bodies, souls, minds, and selves. Not only for fortune-telling palmists were the future and the past, health, and character laid bare in the hand, but for other experts in bodies and minds as anatomists, psychiatrists, embryologists, primatologists, evolutionary biologists, geneticists, and more.
Drawing telling parallels between the divination promised by palmistry and the appeal to self-knowledge offered by modern genetic testing, Decoding the Hand also makes clear that palm-reading is far from a relic or simple charlatanism. Bashford’s sagacious history of human hands touching and connecting opens wide the essential human pursuit of what lies within and beyond.
Why did Isaac Newton read books on chiromancy, the occult science of hand reading that revealed the secrets of the soul? Why did Charles Darwin claim that the hand gave humans dominion over all other species? Why did psychoanalyst Charlotte Wolff climb into the primate cages of the London Zoo, taking hundreds of delicate palm prints? Why did Francis Galton, the father of fingerprinting, take palm prints too? And why did world-leading geneticists study the geometry of palm lines in their search for the secrets of chromosomal syndromes?
Decoding the Hand is an astounding history of magic, medicine, and science, of an enduring search for how our bodily surfaces might reveal an inner self—a soul, a character, an identity. From sixteenth-century occult physicians influenced by the Kabbalah to twentieth-century geneticists, and from criminologists to eugenicists, award-winning historian Alison Bashford takes us on a remarkable journey into the strange world of hand readers, revealing how signs on the hand—its shape, lines, marks, and patterns—have been elaborately decoded over the centuries. Sometimes learned, sometimes outrageously deceptive, sometimes earnest, and, more often than we ever expected, medically and scientifically trained, these palm readers of the past prove to be essential links in the human quest to peer into bodies, souls, minds, and selves. Not only for fortune-telling palmists were the future and the past, health, and character laid bare in the hand, but for other experts in bodies and minds as anatomists, psychiatrists, embryologists, primatologists, evolutionary biologists, geneticists, and more.
Drawing telling parallels between the divination promised by palmistry and the appeal to self-knowledge offered by modern genetic testing, Decoding the Hand also makes clear that palm-reading is far from a relic or simple charlatanism. Bashford’s sagacious history of human hands touching and connecting opens wide the essential human pursuit of what lies within and beyond.
465 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication December 23, 2025
34 people want to read
About the author
Alison Bashford
26 books10 followersAlison Bashford is Director of the Laureate Centre for the History of Population at the University of New South Wales.
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July 5, 2025Book Review: Decoding the Hand: A History of Science, Medicine, and Magic by Alison Bashford
Rating: 5/5
Alison Bashford’s Decoding the Hand is a dazzling intellectual odyssey that transforms the humble human hand into a prism refracting centuries of scientific, medical, and occult thought. As someone fascinated by the interplay of mysticism and empiricism, I found this book utterly revelatory—a work that marries scholarly depth with narrative flair, leaving me awestruck by the hand’s enduring symbolic and diagnostic power.
Strengths & Emotional Resonance
Bashford’s interdisciplinary brilliance shines as she traces palmistry’s evolution from Kabbalistic chiromancy to modern genetics. The Secrets Disclosed chapter on Charles Darwin’s hand-centric theories of human dominance was a masterstroke, revealing how even the father of evolutionary biology saw the hand as a biological and metaphysical cipher. Her excavation of Charlotte Wolff’s primate palm-printing experiments at the London Zoo was both poignant and provocative, blurring lines between science and spiritual inquiry.
The book’s revisionist thrust—challenging the disenchantment narrative of modernity—is its crowning achievement. Bashford deftly argues that palmistry was never mere charlatanism but a proto-scientific language embraced by figures like Isaac Newton and Francis Galton. Her analysis of fingerprinting’s occult roots (Galton’s palm prints!) upended my assumptions about biometrics’ rational origins.
Constructive Criticism
While near-perfect, I noted minor gaps:
-Global Narratives: Though Indo-European traditions are explored, deeper engagement with Afro-Asian palmistry systems (e.g., Chinese zhang xiang) could enrich its scope.
-Visual Analysis: Given the subject, more illustrations of historical palm maps or genetic diagrams would amplify its impact. Note, the illustrations and graphics that were included were stunning and highly detailed.
-Contemporary Links: A brief epilogue on AI hand-scanning or epigenetic research might bridge past and present.
Why This Book Stands Out
Bashford’s work is paradigm-shifting, resonating with:
-History of science scholars rethinking “occult” knowledge.
-Medical humanities enthusiasts exploring embodiment.
-Skeptics and believers alike, thanks to its balanced tone.
The endorsements from Janet Browne and Simon Schaffer underscore its dual appeal: rigorous scholarship and page-turning storytelling. The Wall Street Journal’s praise for Bashford’s “daring intelligence” rings true here.
Thank you to the University of Chicago Press for hitting it out of the ballpark again with this great book; and Edelweiss for the advance copy. Bashford doesn’t just decode hands—she reenchants the very act of interpretation.
Final Verdict:
Originality: 5/5 (Reframes palmistry as central to scientific history.)
Narrative Craft: 5/5 (Erudite yet witty; footnotes sparkle with asides.)
Emotional Weight: 5/5 (You’ll gaze at your own palms with newfound awe.)
Timeliness: 5/5 (A manifesto for rethinking “rational” vs. “magical” knowledge.)
A must-read for anyone who’s ever traced their lifeline and wondered—could science and magic be reading the same lines? ✋🔍
Rating: 5/5
Alison Bashford’s Decoding the Hand is a dazzling intellectual odyssey that transforms the humble human hand into a prism refracting centuries of scientific, medical, and occult thought. As someone fascinated by the interplay of mysticism and empiricism, I found this book utterly revelatory—a work that marries scholarly depth with narrative flair, leaving me awestruck by the hand’s enduring symbolic and diagnostic power.
Strengths & Emotional Resonance
Bashford’s interdisciplinary brilliance shines as she traces palmistry’s evolution from Kabbalistic chiromancy to modern genetics. The Secrets Disclosed chapter on Charles Darwin’s hand-centric theories of human dominance was a masterstroke, revealing how even the father of evolutionary biology saw the hand as a biological and metaphysical cipher. Her excavation of Charlotte Wolff’s primate palm-printing experiments at the London Zoo was both poignant and provocative, blurring lines between science and spiritual inquiry.
The book’s revisionist thrust—challenging the disenchantment narrative of modernity—is its crowning achievement. Bashford deftly argues that palmistry was never mere charlatanism but a proto-scientific language embraced by figures like Isaac Newton and Francis Galton. Her analysis of fingerprinting’s occult roots (Galton’s palm prints!) upended my assumptions about biometrics’ rational origins.
Constructive Criticism
While near-perfect, I noted minor gaps:
-Global Narratives: Though Indo-European traditions are explored, deeper engagement with Afro-Asian palmistry systems (e.g., Chinese zhang xiang) could enrich its scope.
-Visual Analysis: Given the subject, more illustrations of historical palm maps or genetic diagrams would amplify its impact. Note, the illustrations and graphics that were included were stunning and highly detailed.
-Contemporary Links: A brief epilogue on AI hand-scanning or epigenetic research might bridge past and present.
Why This Book Stands Out
Bashford’s work is paradigm-shifting, resonating with:
-History of science scholars rethinking “occult” knowledge.
-Medical humanities enthusiasts exploring embodiment.
-Skeptics and believers alike, thanks to its balanced tone.
The endorsements from Janet Browne and Simon Schaffer underscore its dual appeal: rigorous scholarship and page-turning storytelling. The Wall Street Journal’s praise for Bashford’s “daring intelligence” rings true here.
Thank you to the University of Chicago Press for hitting it out of the ballpark again with this great book; and Edelweiss for the advance copy. Bashford doesn’t just decode hands—she reenchants the very act of interpretation.
Final Verdict:
Originality: 5/5 (Reframes palmistry as central to scientific history.)
Narrative Craft: 5/5 (Erudite yet witty; footnotes sparkle with asides.)
Emotional Weight: 5/5 (You’ll gaze at your own palms with newfound awe.)
Timeliness: 5/5 (A manifesto for rethinking “rational” vs. “magical” knowledge.)
A must-read for anyone who’s ever traced their lifeline and wondered—could science and magic be reading the same lines? ✋🔍
November 13, 2025
I was lucky enough to receive an advance galley copy of Decoding the Hand as part of a seminar in conversation with Alison Bashford. This is a powerful research monograph, which is evidently a passion project for the author. The book traces a history of hand-reading from its mystical occult origins, through 19th century science and superstition, all the way to the present day and the surprising roots of genetics in hand-reading. Fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews