La donna delinquente. La prostituta e la donna normale

Turin: L. Roux, 1893. FIRST EDITION. With 8 folding photo-lithograph plates, text illustrations and diagrams. Cloth-backed boards; a fine copy from the library of Guido Olivieri, with his small ownership stamp in the upper corner of title. First edition of this famous work on the analysis of prostitution and the "female offender" by Lombroso (1835-1909), one of the greatest observers of criminals, their background and activities. He approaches his subject by focusing on the biological and behavioral characteristics of females in various cultures throughout the world. As part of their monumental study, Lombroso, assisted by his son-in-law, Ferrero, spent many hours examining the skulls of female felons, an anthropological technique that proved extremely successful. As with his other works, Lombroso pursued the physiological evidence of the various emotional states which result in criminal behavior. His conclusions regarding the female gender are quite startling.