Origin of Species by Darwin, First Edition (6 results)

First edition of "the most influential scientific work of the 19th century" (Horblit) and "certainly the most important biological book ever written" (Freeman). The initial 1,250 copies of Darwin's magnum opus prompted an intellectual revolution comparable to that of Newton or Copernicus. While recognizable theories of evolution had been developing since at least the mid-1750s, the Origin introduces the critical mechanism of natural selection to explain the direction of the process. When married with Mendelian genetics, natural selection became the foundation of modern evolutionary theory: "every modern discussion of man's future, the population explosion, the struggle for existence, the purpose of man and the universe, and man's place in nature rests on Darwin" (Mayr, pp. vii-xxviii). Dibner 199; Freeman 373; Garrison-Morton 220; Grolier/Horblit 23b; Norman 593; Printing and the Mind of Man 344b. Ernst Mayr, introduction to the Harvard University facsimile edition, 1964. Octavo (187 x 114 mm). Folding diagram lithographed by W. West. Bound with half-title and without publisher's advertisements, as often. Near-contemporary green half calf, spine and covers decorated in gilt, spine with dark red calf label, marbled sides, endpapers, and edges. Housed in custom green half morocco cloth box. Ornithological bookplate of the zoologist Brunsdon Yapp (1909-1990), author of a study of bird illustrations in medieval texts. Infrequent 20th-century pencil annotations to margins. Light wear, faint ghosting to front endpapers, minor browning and foxing to contents, short closed tears to upper margin of O10 and S2, the latter touching text, and short split to fold of diagram: a very good copy.

1 vols. 8vo. First Edition, one of only 1250 copies. First Edition, one of only 1250 copies. 1 vols. 8vo. "[T]he most important single work in science, brought man to his true place in nature" (Heralds of Science 199). Darwin "revolutionized our methods of thinking and our outlook on the natural order of things. The recognition that constant change is the order of the universe had been finally established and a vast step forward in the uniformity of nature had been taken" (PMM 344). "The publication of the Origin of Species ushered in a new era in our thinking about the nature of man. The intellectual revolution it caused and the impact it had on man's concept of himself and the world were greater than those caused by the works of Copernicus, Newton, and the great physicists of more recent times. Every modern discussion of man's future, the population explosion, the struggle for existence, the purpose of man and the universe, and man's place in nature rests on Darwin" (Mayr). Freeman 373; PMM 344; Norman 593; Garrison-Morton 220; Grolier/Horblit 23b; Brent, Charles Darwin, p. 427 Bound with half-title and without publisher's adverts. Folding diagram lithographed by W. West. Late 19th-century half brown morocco by Zaehnsdorf, spine lettered and ruled in gilt, raised bands, marbled sides and endpapers, top edge gilt, brown silk bookmarker. Red morocco book label of Valentine Hollingsworth (1883-1942). Front joint repaired. Light rubbing, slight darkening to spine, a few light spots of foxing to preliminaries but otherwise crisp and clean, tiny closed tear at foot of title page, folding diagram with short closed tear and neat repair at foot: a very good, smartly bound copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First Printing SIGNED by Charles Darwin on an Autograph note signed in the third person "with Mr. Darwins compliments" laid into the book. The book is bound in the original green diagonal wave grain cloth, with the half-title a little trimmed and folding lithographed diagram present with advertisements at rear. This copy also has the First Issue point with 2 quotations facing the title page with "species" misspelled "speceies" on page 20, and the whale-bear story in full on page 184. The book has been re-cased preserving the original green cloth and brown endpapers. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning. The pages are clean with minor wear. A lovely copy SIGNED by the author housed in a custom clamshell slipcase for preservation. We buy Darwin First Editions. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. No Jacket. 1st Edition. A landmark in the history of human thought, and one of the rarest and most significant copies to appear on the market. This is the first edition, first issue of On the Origin of Species, described by Horblit as "the most influential scientific work of the 19th century" and by Freeman as "certainly the most important biological book ever written." In these pages, Darwin introduced the theory of evolution by natural selection, a revolutionary concept that transformed science, religion, and our understanding of life. Only 1,250 copies of the first edition were printed, of which 500 were taken immediately by Mudie's Circulating Library. First issue copies in original condition are scarce; those accompanied by original signed material from Darwin are exceptionally rare and highly sought after. This copy retains the publisher's original green cloth binding, with the Edmonds & Remnant binder's ticket to the rear pastedown. It includes the 32-page publisher's catalogue at the rear dated June 1859, confirming its first issue status, as well as the iconic folding lithographed diagram. Loosely inserted is an autograph slip signed in Darwin's hand, reading "With Mr Charles Darwin's Compliments" a remarkable association seldom encountered. Octavo. Original diagonal-wave-grain green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, covers blocked in blind, pale brown coated endpapers. Faint vertical crease to half-title and title. Skilful restoration to the inner hinges. Very minor rubbing to extremities. Pale mark from a removed Mudie's label. Early ownership inscription of L. Anderson Rice to the front endpaper, with a note of acquisition from Mudie's (8s, Nov. 1860). Bookseller's code from Dawson's of London (1970s) and a later discreet library slip to rear pastedown. The signed compliments slip is in fine condition. Housed in a green quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. A complete and well-preserved example of Darwin's defining work. This example (without the signed slip) was sold by Peter Harrington in 2020. A PDF of that catalogue description is available with the sale. Signed by Author(s).

First edition of "certainly the most important biological book ever written" (Freeman), one of 1250 copies. Octavo, bound in original cloth, half-title, one folding lithographed diagram, without advertisements. In very good condition with cracks to inner hinges and a touch of shelfwear. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A fine example of this landmark work. Darwin ârevolutionized our methods of thinking and our outlook on the natural order of things. The recognition that constant change is the order of the universe had been finally established and a vast step forward in the uniformity of nature had been takenâ (PMM 344). âWithout question a watershed work in the history of modern life sciences, Darwinâs Origin elaborated a proposition that species slowly evolve from common ancestors through the mechanism of natural selection. As he himself expected, Darwinâs theory became, and continues to be in some circles, the object of intense controversyâ (American Philosophical Society). âThe five years [of Darwinâs voyage on the Beagle] were the most important event in Darwinâs intellectual life and in the history of biological science. Darwin sailed with no formal training. He returned a hard-headed man of science⦠The experiences of his five years in the Beagle, how he dealt with them, and what they led to, built up into a process of epoch-making importance in the history of thoughtâ (PMM).

First edition, presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper in a secretarial hand, "Dr Weddell, Bagnères de Bigorre, from the author". This is a premier copy: Weddell is one of the earliest named recipients on Darwin's list of presentation copies. Darwin and Weddell, who had comparable experience as scientists aboard major expeditions to South America, exchanged findings, plant specimens, and presentation copies throughout their careers. Though born in England, Hugh Algernon Weddell (1819-1877) was raised in France and qualified as a physician there in 1841. He joined the Castelnau scientific expedition to South America the following year, aged 23, before leaving in 1845 to concentrate on his own plant collecting in the Andes. He returned to France in 1848, having discovered coca and cinchona, among other plants, and collected over 5,000 specimens. These travels and a later trip to Bolivia established him as a specialist in South American flora. He served as an assistant naturalist at the Muséum d'histoire naturelle in Paris from 1850 to 1857, before settling in Bagnères-de-Bigorre and later in Poitiers. Histoire naturelle des quinquinas ou monographie du genre (1849), the two-volume Chloris Andina (1855-57), and Monographie de la famille des Urticés (1856) are among his most noted publications. "Weddell was the first to demonstrate scientifically the medical importance of coca. as well as the dangers attached to its misuse. His work contributed to the cultivation of cinchona in the Dutch East Indies and other tropical regions, and earned him the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 1855, a rare distinction for a foreigner. His observations on the fossils of Tarija in Bolivia and on the different varieties of cinchona led him to elaborate, between 1850 and 1860, a theory of adaptation that anticipated Darwin, at least in France" (Natural History Museum). In 1858, Darwin and Hooker consulted the new data in Weddell's 1856 monograph to calculate the number of species and varieties in large and small genera. Weddell sent Darwin a copy of his paper on the Cynomorium plant in 1860, and two years later Darwin responded in kind by gifting Weddell a copy of Orchids, on page 19 of which he cites Weddell's work on the "naturally produced" hybrids of Aceras. Weddell is also included on Darwin's presentation list for "Two forms in species of Linum" (1863), which prompted a written correspondence on pollination mechanisms. In his letter of 13 May 1863 (DCP-LETT-4161), Weddell apologizes to Darwin for being unable to find the requested samples of Ophrys apifera (bee orchids) in his local area: "If at any future period I am more lucky, I shall not fail to observe a sufficient number of them as respects their manner of fertilisation and make you acquainted with the results". The final exchange between Darwin and Weddell concerned membership of the Académie des Sciences. Darwin applied twice to become a corresponding member of its botanical section, but it was not until after Weddell's death that the Académie offered the newly vacant place to him (DCP-LETT-11640A). Darwin drafted his list of recipients of presentation copies of the Origin between August and October 1859. Weddell appears on the first page of the list as "Dr. Weddell Bagneres de Bigorres Haute Pyrenees" (Correspondence Vol. 8, p. 555). "There are no known author's presentation copies of the first edition inscribed in Darwin's hand" (Norman). Subsequent provenance: Louis Devergne, likely the archpriest (1891-1941) at Loudon, some 40 miles from Poitiers where Weddell died, his neat ink ownership inscription on front free endpaper; private French collector. Freeman 373; Garrison-Morton 220; Horblit 23b; Norman 593; Printing and the Mind of Man 344b. "Appendix III - Presentation copies of Origin", in Frederick Burkhardt & James Second, eds, The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Volume 8: 1860, 1993. Octavo. Folding diagram lithographed by W. West. 32-page publisher's catalogue at rear dated June 1859. Original green cloth, spine lettered and decorated in gilt (Freeman variant b, no priority), brown endpapers. Housed in a green quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. Extremities rubbed and bumped, cloth and gilt bright, small patch of dampstain at upper edge of rear cover with resulting area visible at gutter of rear endpapers, contents notably clean bar very occasional faint spotting and soiling, neatly repaired closed tear at fore edge of G5, tiny nick at fore edge of P5: a fine copy.