On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Second edition, second issue ('fifth thousand') by DARWIN, Charles - 1860

London: John Murray, 1860. 2nd Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 2nd Edition. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. 8vo (196 x 125 mm). ix [1], 502, 32 pp., including half-title, publisher's advertisements at end dated 'January 1860', and folding lithographed table facing p.117. Original publisher's green blind-stamped cloth, binding variant c (spine ends slightly frayed, corners bumped, extremities little rubbed), original brown endpapers, Edmonds & Remnants ticket to rear pastedown, inner hinges partially cracked and repaired. Half-title with light finger soiling, traces of erased pencil markings and repaired tear at upper margin, dog ear to p. 171, p. 457/8 with short clean tear at blank fore-margin (repaired on verso), little age toning mostly to outer margins, page edges a bit dust soiled, but generally clean and unfoxed. Still very good, clean and unstained copy. ----

Freeman 376 (binding variant c); 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). - Visit our website to see more images!