Here is the complete, unabridged text of Charles Benedict Davenport's Body-build and Its Inheritance, a landmark 1923 study that helped shape early human genetics. This new annotated edition places Davenport's work in its full historical context, offering a modern introduction and reader's notes that illuminate both his contributions to biometrics and the troubling eugenic assumptions of his era. Readers will encounter Davenport's detailed measurements, inheritance charts, and body typologies exactly as originally published, while being guided through the scientific and ethical questions they raise. A fascinating window into the history of biology, this volume is essential for students, historians, and anyone curious about how we came to understand the human body. Part of The Founding Texts Library.