Empire of Skulls: Phrenology, the Fowler Family, and a New Nation’s Quest To Unlock the Secrets of the Mind

This captivating, well-researched chronicle traces the rise and fall of the Fowler family’s kingdom of phrenology. In the antebellum U.S., the Fowlers offered “skull readings,” akin to horoscopes and meant to be used for self-understanding and improvement. Stob (coauthor, The Art of Public Speaking) shows how American culture was fertile ground for the propagation of this now-debunked science. Adherents of phrenology claimed not only that the bumps on one’s head can expose the workings therein, but the greater message that a person has the power to influence their character and change themselves. As with many lies, the half-truth gave it credence, and it is fascinating to read the accounts and hear how prevalent phrenology was and how its impact lingers to this day. Stob’s stories of its early success almost make one believe there is some truth to phrenology, except for the benefit of modern scientific knowledge. One might think a history of bumps on skulls sounds like dry reading, but this is a fascinating, entertaining, and enlightening wrok.