ABSTRACT
Combe's Constitution of man, originally part of a doctrine used to outdo evangelical opponents, became one of the most talked about and controversial books of the mid-nineteenth century. Reactions to Constitution varied widely. To many, it was a new bible, for the first time revealing Man's true relationship to Nature and providing an alternative moral standard and pointing the way to self-help. Constitution made less explicit claims to speak for current science. Written by Combe, elite men of science may have ignored Constitution so as not to increase the attention the book received. Constitution ceased to be just another work on natural philosophy when it began to sell surprisingly well from 1835. The sales first increased when the price was reduced - a boon made possible by the Henderson Trust. The doctrine of the natural laws could have been a rejuvenated natural theology.
