Decoding the Hand by Alison Bashford is a richly researched work of popular history that traces how palmistry helped shape modern biometrics, medicine and ideas of identity. If you love books where science meets the strange, this one is a delight: curious, thoughtful, and full of surprising connections.
Bashford follows the hand through centuries of investigation and belief, from occult physicians influenced by the Kabbalah to Darwin, Newton and early fingerprint pioneers. Along the way, she introduces psychiatrists, primatologists and geneticists who studied palm lines and hand shapes, asking what our surfaces might reveal about character, health and the self. It’s not a defence of fortune-telling, but a clear-eyed look at why hand reading kept returning in serious scientific contexts.
Perfect for readers of history of science, medical history, and anyone fascinated by palmistry, forensic science and genetics.
Add it to your cart and see what stories our hands have been made to tell.
