Judging By Appearances Porta, Giovanni Battista Della (1535?-1615). De humana physiognomonia libri III. , Naples, 1586. The practice of attempting to discern personality traits from physical appearance goes back to antiquity. In fact, it was Aristotle who coined the term, “physiognomy” to support his own writings and inclinations on the subject. Since that time andContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”