Man’s Supreme Inheritance (1910), Man’s Supreme Inheritance Addenda (1911), Conscious Control (1912)

This special edition contains facsimile editions of F. M. Alexander’s book Man’s Supreme Inheritance (1910), the booklet ‘Man’s Supreme Inheritance Addenda’ (1911), and the short book Conscious Control (1912). These three publications were revised and enlarged and incorporated into the 1918 edition of Man’s Supreme Inheritance. The 1918 edition superceded the earlier publications, and the present edition is therefore not intended as a replacement or an alternative, but only as source material for scholars wishing to study the origins of the 1918 edition. This book, by containing the 1910, 1911, and 1912 material, makes it easier to compare and contrast the origins with a copy of the 1918 or later edition, and furthermore to examine these publications on their own. ‘Man’s supreme inheritance’ is our potential to develop conscious use of ourselves in all activities of living. With reference to and examples from his teaching experience of his technique, Alexander argues for the development of consciousness. Though some of the contemporary concerns which he addresses are dated, the underlying issues are still the same: our health and well-being are being undermined by too much tension, effort and lack of physical and mental co-ordination.