The origin of species (c. 1900)

by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. Reprinted from the Sixth London Edition, with all Additions and Corrections. New York; Hurst and Company, Publishers; N.D. [c. 1900]. Octavo, original publisher’s gilt-lettered brown cloth (light corner wear, lightly bruised at head and foot of spine), patterned endpapers; pp. [ii], xx, 506 (last 5 blank); portrait frontispiece, double-page diagram, a fine copy.

A very good copy of the sixth edition of one of the most important texts in the history of science. The first edition of 1859, a great rarity, is described in Freeman as “… the most important biological work ever written.”; Dibner, “… the most important single work in science.”; Printing & the Mind of Man, “… 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.”

The Sixth Edition was the final edition extensively edited by Darwin and the first edition to drop the word ‘ON’ from the title and the first edition of the ‘Origin’ to use the word ‘evolution’. The Glossary was compiled by W. S. Dallas at Darwin’s request. Freeman describes his 461 as being a volume in the ‘Library of Famous Books by Famous Authors’ but there is no internal or external evidence of that in this copy, nor does he mention the portrait.

Freeman 461 (?)