A humorous and bizarre artifact from the Victorian culture of manliness, and the perfect gift book for the man in your life -- bearded or not. The Philosophy of Beards is a curious look into the Victorian culture of hyper-manliness. The author makes his case for the universal wearing of a beard--proclaiming that a beard is the essential symbol of manly virtue and distinction since time immemorial. The book is here republished for the first time since 1854 in this distinctive gift edition, edited by the British Library with illustrations of impressive beards from history.