the origin of species by means of natural selection

Samuel Butler acquired the volume second-hand sometime in the 1870s, having lost the copy he originally read in New Zealand. The inscription is not in Darwin’s hand but the hand of one of Murray’s clerks at the publishing house. In considering the Origin of Species, it is quite conceivable that a naturalist, reflecting on the mutual affinities of organic beings, on their embryological relations, their geographical distribution, geological succession, and other such facts, might come to the conclusion that each species had not been independently created, but had. This volume is one of 23 known presentation copies, all of which are identified by this inscription on the flyleaf: The concept, published by Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in a joint presentation of papers in 1858, was elaborated in Darwins influential 1859 book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. It introduced the theory that populations evolve over. The books full title is On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. In fact, quite a few had already been distributed either for review or as ‘presentation copies’. Natural selection is a cornerstone of modern biology. 1859) is a pivotal work in scientific literature and arguably the pivotal work in evolutionary biology.

Once back in England Butler wrote to Darwin expressing his fascination with the many questions the Origin raised.īutler went on to pen four of his own works on the subject, later claiming that ‘however we may differ from in detail, the present general acceptance of evolution must remain as his work, and a more valuable work can hardly be imagined’.Īccording to Darwin’s publisher John Murray, all 1250 copies of the first edition Origin of Species were sold on the day of publication (24th November 1859).

Freed from his family’s overbearing religious influence, and with plenty of time for reading and reflection, he studied the Origin of Species and was immediately convinced of the truth of evolution. In September 1859, two months before the book’s publication, Butler set sail for New Zealand where he worked profitably as a sheep farmer for four years. Charles Darwins On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life remains in print, in. This first edition of Charles Darwin’s most important work comes from Butler’s own library.

The origin of species by means of natural selection