Abstract
M. FIGUIER has been singularly fortunate in the mode in which his books have been received by the French public. “Le Monde avant le Deluge” had a large circulation, and even in England the translation revised by Mr. Bristow met with considerable favour. It is almost needless to remark that it reproduces the wild catastrophic doctrines that were given up in England some thirty years ago, with a grace and elegance which lead the dilettante reader to believe that he is learning at the feet of a modern Gamaliel, “L'Homme Primitif” takes up the narrative where it was dropped by the preceding work, and tells the story of the early races of men that have lived in Europe, with that vivacity and idealism which is only to be found in perfection among the people for whom it was written. It is undoubtedly true that M. Figuier's works give a faithful outline of the present state of science in France; but it is none the less true that in England catastrophism is practically extinct, and that many of the inferences of French Archæologists are received by English savants with a considerable amount of reserve. We, therefore, hold that Science is not really advanced by these books being put before the non-scientific English reader. Of the two books the latter is by far the best, but it is disfigured by many and grave mistakes. There can be no doubt that it will become almost as popular in England as in France, although the elegance of style cannot be preserved in plain straight-forward English.
Primitive Man.
By Louis Figuier. Revised Translation, 8vo. (London: Chapman and Hall, 1870.)
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D., W. Primitive Man. Nature 2, 311–312 (1870). https://doi.org/10.1038/002311a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/002311a0
