Edith Simcox (1844–1901) was a prominent British feminist, social critic and prolific writer. She published widely, advocating support for women's right to education, improved working conditions and suffrage. Her scholarly works in philosophy and economic history sought to demonstrate that contemporary capitalism was not the only route to a prosperous society. Her articles appeared in many periodicals and among her books are Episodes in the Lives of Men, Women, and Lovers (1882) and the two-volume Primitive Civilizations (1894), both also reissued in this series. First published in 1877, this book analyses the laws that govern human relations with society and with the natural world. Its chief concern is to establish whether human actions and feelings are subject to the same natural laws as inanimate objects, and whether such laws are 'of supernatural imposition'. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=simced