CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN (1809-1882) On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life . London: John Murray 1859. 8° in 12s (198 x 118mm). Folding lithographic diagram by W. West. 32p. list of John Murray's publications, dated June 1859, inserted at end. (Slight tear to half-title, first quire pulled from text block and rehinged, final advertisement leaf tipped onto free endpaper.) Original green diapered cloth with Edmonds and Remnants label at rear, blind-stamped panel on covers, spine gilt lettered and decorated with two triangles, brown glazed endpapers, a few quires unopened (inner hinges repaired, front free endpaper laid down), later solander box. Provenance : Arthur James Lewis (bookplate) -- Quentin Keynes (1921-2003, gift to his doctor). FIRST EDITION. A REMARKABLY FRESH COPY. John Murray initially printed 1250 copies of the book which 'caused a greater upheaval in man's thinking than any other scientific advance since the rebirth of science in the Renaissance' (Ernst Mayr . Despite its 490 pages, it was intended only as an 'abstract' of a far larger work. Yet for years Darwin had showed a marked reluctance to print anything on the subject of evolution. Although he developed his theory of the origin of species by natural selection in 1838, he communicated it to no one. In 1842 he drew up a rough sketch of the argument, expanding this into an essay only to be published in the event of his death. Once he had prepared the third part of the Geology of the Voyage of the Beagle for publication, he shelved the species question 'and started on eight tedious years' study' of living and fossil barnacles. His painstaking work on their structure and classification enabled him to acquire first-hand knowledge of the amount of variation to be found in nature. In April 1856 he described his theory of natural selection to Charles Lyell, and that summer began work on the book which Lyell urged him to write. On 18 June 1858 he received the shock letter from Alfred Russell Wallace which appeared to be 'a perfect summary of the views which he had worked out during the preceding twenty years' (DSB III, p. 573). In a compromise that was fair to both, Darwin presented his own and Wallace's papers before the Linnean Society of London on 1 July 1858, and they were published together on 20 August of that year. Unable to squander any more time over the writing of his 'big book', Darwin then set about writing the 'abstract' which we know as the Origin with the encouragement of Joseph Hooker. This copy contains a loosely-inserted autograph letter signed from Francis Darwin to Hooker, Botanical Laboratory, Cambridge, 2 March 1903, 2 pages, 4°, referring to the newly-published edition of his father's letters: 'You have not yet had the copy of More Letters [ of Charles Darwin ] ... a misprint in the table of contents has caused some of the delay: thro no fault of ours your portrait 1857 was omitted in list of illustr s in vol ii. I hope the book will soon reach you & that you will appprove of it. I don't know what we should have done without your help'. Dibner Heralds 199; Eimas Heirs 1724; Freeman 373 (variant 'b' binding); Garrison-Morton 220; Grolier Science 32b; Norman 593; PMM 344b; Sparrow Milestones 49; Waller 10786.
CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN (1809-1882) On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life . London: John Murray 1859. 8° in 12s (198 x 118mm). Folding lithographic diagram by W. West. 32p. list of John Murray's publications, dated June 1859, inserted at end. (Slight tear to half-title, first quire pulled from text block and rehinged, final advertisement leaf tipped onto free endpaper.) Original green diapered cloth with Edmonds and Remnants label at rear, blind-stamped panel on covers, spine gilt lettered and decorated with two triangles, brown glazed endpapers, a few quires unopened (inner hinges repaired, front free endpaper laid down), later solander box. Provenance : Arthur James Lewis (bookplate) -- Quentin Keynes (1921-2003, gift to his doctor). FIRST EDITION. A REMARKABLY FRESH COPY. John Murray initially printed 1250 copies of the book which 'caused a greater upheaval in man's thinking than any other scientific advance since the rebirth of science in the Renaissance' (Ernst Mayr . Despite its 490 pages, it was intended only as an 'abstract' of a far larger work. Yet for years Darwin had showed a marked reluctance to print anything on the subject of evolution. Although he developed his theory of the origin of species by natural selection in 1838, he communicated it to no one. In 1842 he drew up a rough sketch of the argument, expanding this into an essay only to be published in the event of his death. Once he had prepared the third part of the Geology of the Voyage of the Beagle for publication, he shelved the species question 'and started on eight tedious years' study' of living and fossil barnacles. His painstaking work on their structure and classification enabled him to acquire first-hand knowledge of the amount of variation to be found in nature. In April 1856 he described his theory of natural selection to Charles Lyell, and that summer began work on the book which Lyell urged him to write. On 18 June 1858 he received the shock letter from Alfred Russell Wallace which appeared to be 'a perfect summary of the views which he had worked out during the preceding twenty years' (DSB III, p. 573). In a compromise that was fair to both, Darwin presented his own and Wallace's papers before the Linnean Society of London on 1 July 1858, and they were published together on 20 August of that year. Unable to squander any more time over the writing of his 'big book', Darwin then set about writing the 'abstract' which we know as the Origin with the encouragement of Joseph Hooker. This copy contains a loosely-inserted autograph letter signed from Francis Darwin to Hooker, Botanical Laboratory, Cambridge, 2 March 1903, 2 pages, 4°, referring to the newly-published edition of his father's letters: 'You have not yet had the copy of More Letters [ of Charles Darwin ] ... a misprint in the table of contents has caused some of the delay: thro no fault of ours your portrait 1857 was omitted in list of illustr s in vol ii. I hope the book will soon reach you & that you will appprove of it. I don't know what we should have done without your help'. Dibner Heralds 199; Eimas Heirs 1724; Freeman 373 (variant 'b' binding); Garrison-Morton 220; Grolier Science 32b; Norman 593; PMM 344b; Sparrow Milestones 49; Waller 10786.
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
