PHKFACI*: 



TMI 1 E first volume of this biography miix-ared in July, 1914. about a month 

 1 before the outbreak of the (ireat War. It met with few rea<U>rH, and 



failed to repay the cost of produftion. The war injured the Gulton I.ai 



tory ill many ways, the chief, perha|)S, l)eing that it renderwl of Hiiiall \ ^ 



its publication funds; thus a collection of Galton's publishefl pajwrs, which 

 ha<l been projected l>efore the war, was placed out of the question. Further 

 tiie relative and tiie friend of Galton wlio in 1'J14 had financed together 'Ik- 

 first volume were unable to face the excessive post-war costs of prim 

 In 11)19 accordingly, when the pen again replaced ballistics, the tire<l mind 

 and hand could not seek a legitimate relief in continuing the story of (ialton's 

 life. It was only in 1922 that the generous gift of an old schoolfriend, the 

 late Mr Lewis Ilaslam, M.P., enabled me to face the difficulties of a second 

 volume. I deeply regret that he did not live to see this work in type. But 

 if friends and admirers of Galton find in it anything they value, let them 

 remendjer the debt they owe to Lewis Haslam. 



When it came to planning this second volume the biographer found 

 himself, however, in a very difi'erent position from what he had anticij«it«Hl 

 in 1914. He then considered that the i.ssue of the collected works of G.i ' 

 would render easy the task of describing Galton's re^^earches. Such i.s.^,.i 

 having ceased to be practicable, a grave problem arose. Many of Galton's 

 papers are now inaccessible, even a record of the original loci of publiciition 

 IS not available', there is no annotated bibliography to guide men to tl<- 

 memoirs themselves by a suggestion of their contents, and tliey are saitti 

 one might almost say, at random not only through the publications of many 

 learned societies and scientific journals, but in the daily, weekly and monti!'',- 

 press, often in magazines which liave long cejised to apr>ear. The i; 

 striking factor in Galton's work wiis its pioneer character, lie blazed a tniil 

 where others have followed with a highway. To gnusp his extraordinary 

 suggest! veness — even when his methods are the crude extemporisations of 

 the fii-st settler, ever ready to advance further as others crowd in l^ehind — 

 the reader must study Galton's writings in the mass. But these are in many 

 cases beyond his reach, if not beyond his ken. Thinking the matter out 

 carefully, I determined that this second volume of Galton's oiogniphy should 

 to a large extent supply the reader with what the collected works would li-' •• 

 done; that the resumi' of memoirs, books, and articles should be full eii' i _ 

 to enable the anthropologist, the geneticist and the statistician to appreciate 



' The bibliography attaclied to the Memorits is very incomplete. Not only do pnpen fail, 

 but ofU'ii the description is incori-cct either as to volume or as* to ye»r, or oven aa to the title of 

 the journal assignuil, while throughout uo pages ait! given. 



