Milestones of Science Books

DARWIN, Charles.

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Second edition, 'fifth thousand.'.

London: John Murray, 1860.

2nd Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #002543

8vo (198 x 125 mm). ix [1], 502, 32 pp., including half-title, publisher's advertisements at end dated 'January 1860', and folding table facing p.117. 20th-century green morocco, spine decorated in gilt and with gilt-lettered brown morocco label, marbled endpapers. Pages untrimmed. Text crisp and unmarked, a few little spots to half-title, otherwise virtually unfoxed, pp. 240-241 little soiled. A fine copy overall. ----

Freeman 376; Norman 594. - SECOND EDITION, second printing OF "THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SCIENTIFIC WORK OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Its publication aroused world-wide criticism and controversy, both religious and scientific" (Grolier/Horblit). The whole edition of 1250 copies was sold on the day of publication. Though the work was initially prompted by observations, made during his travels aboard the Beagle from 1831 to 1836, of the biology and geology of isolated islands, Darwin spent nearly 25 years after his return to England accumulating evidence and considering his theory before publishing. "Although the theory of evolution can be traced to the ancient Greek belief in the 'great chain of being,' Darwin's greatest achievement was to make this centuries-old 'underground' concept acceptable to the scientific community by cogently arguing for the existence of a viable mechanism -- natural selection -- by which new species evolve over vast periods of time. Darwin's influence on biology was fundamental and continues to be felt today" (Garrison-Morton 220).

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