Man and His Future.

Early reference to human cloning. First edition, first impression of an early reference to human cloning as a scientific possibility, in the final paper, 'Biological Possibilities for the Human Species in the Next Ten Thousand Years' by J.B.S. Haldane (p. 337-361). An attractive copy and uncommon, particularly in the dust jacket.

The papers collected in this volume were all presented at a London conference on the future of human biology hosted by the Ciba Foundation. In addition to Haldane, the contributors include evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley; Gregory Pincus, one of the developers of the birth control pill, who writes here on reproductive control in mammals; and Hermann J. Muller, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery that x-rays cause genetic mutations. Given the eugenicist leanings of Huxley and others involved, it is unsurprising that the contents are focused on population control and the 'improvement' of human genetics, as is Haldane's paper. He references cloning as part of a wide-ranging overview of the future of human biology and argues that cloning 'persons of attested ability' has the potential to 'raise the possibilities of human achievement dramatically', and that 'everyone selected for this purpose will presumably exceed the median considerably in some respect' (p. 352).

First edition, first impression; 8vo; illustrations within the text, contents fresh; original orange cloth, titles to spine and upper board in gilt on black ground, spine rolled, a few tiny rubbed spots to the cloth, a very good copy in the price-clipped jacket that is a little rubbed with some short splits and nicks and partial toning of the lower panel; 410pp.