Alison Bashford: Decoding the Hand

Schedule

Tue Nov 18 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

Blackwell's Bookshop | Edinburgh, SC

Advertisement
Join Alison Bashford as she talks about the astonishing history of palmistry and biometrics
About this Event

Join history Professor Alison Bashford on Tuesday 18th November at 7pm as she chats to Richard Oosterhoff about her astonishing story of palmistry—from occultists 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 Handis 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—their shape, lines, marks, and patterns—have been elaborately decoded over the centuries.


-

Doors: 6.30pm, event starts: 7pm, please arrive early to secure a good seat.

Tickets are £5 and there is a Ticket & Book option which includes a signed copy of Decoding the Hand by Alison Bashford.

The bookshop has level access, events are seated and speakers use microphones. If you have any concerns about accessibility, please do get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Refunds are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, we are unable to offer a refund after the event.

For more information or if you would like a signed copy because you can't make it to the event, please contact the Blackwell's events team on 0131 622 8222 or [email protected]


Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

GBP 2.50 to GBP 25.00

Blackwell's Edinburgh South Bridge

Host or Publisher Blackwell's Edinburgh South Bridge

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Job Fair - Edinburgh Career Fair
Tue, 18 Nov at 11:00 am Edinburgh Job Fair - Edinburgh Career Fair

Edinburgh

JOB-FAIRS VIRTUAL-RUN
The Nature of Connection: A TetraMap Workshop
Tue, 18 Nov at 02:00 pm The Nature of Connection: A TetraMap Workshop

The Melting Pot

WORKSHOPS
Scotland Prestige Event 2025 at Johnnie Walker Princes Street
Tue, 18 Nov at 03:00 pm Scotland Prestige Event 2025 at Johnnie Walker Princes Street

Johnnie Walker Princes Street

FOOD-DRINKS TRIPS-ADVENTURES
University of Edinburgh Christmas Tree Lighting
Tue, 18 Nov at 05:00 pm University of Edinburgh Christmas Tree Lighting

Old College, The University of Edinburgh

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
Scottish Wedding Network Evening at Ghillie Dhu
Tue, 18 Nov at 06:00 pm Scottish Wedding Network Evening at Ghillie Dhu

Ghillie Dhu

Breakaway Femmes screening
Tue, 18 Nov at 06:30 pm Breakaway Femmes screening

ODEON Edinburgh Lothian Rd (118 Lothian Road, Edinburgh)

ENTERTAINMENT WOMENS-HISTORY-MONTH
Rioghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet \/ The Voodoo Rooms \/ Edinburgh \/ 18.11.25
Tue, 18 Nov at 07:30 pm Rioghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet / The Voodoo Rooms / Edinburgh / 18.11.25

The Voodoo Rooms - Bar, Restaurant & Function Rooms in Edinburgh

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
A Wheen o' Wimmin: Singing Our Stories
Tue, 18 Nov at 07:30 pm A Wheen o' Wimmin: Singing Our Stories

43-45 High Street, EH1 1SR Edinburgh, United Kingdom

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Scotland v Denmark
Tue, 18 Nov at 07:45 pm Scotland v Denmark

44 West Crosscauseway, Edinburgh

Edinburgh Ceilidh Club with The Big Shoogle
Tue, 18 Nov at 08:00 pm Edinburgh Ceilidh Club with The Big Shoogle

Summerhall

Frankie and The Witch Fingers
Wed, 19 Nov at 12:00 am Frankie and The Witch Fingers

New Town, Edinburgh

AgriScot 2025
Wed, 19 Nov at 09:00 am AgriScot 2025

Royal Highland Centre, EH28 8NB Edinburgh, United Kingdom

WORKSHOPS EXHIBITIONS

What's Happening Next in Edinburgh?

Discover Edinburgh Events