DARWIN, Charles.
On the Origin of Species.
London: John Murray, Ablemarle Street , 1869.
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First printing of Darwin's On the Origin of Species to contain the expression "survival of the fittest"; Signed by "the father of sociobiology" and "the father of biodiversity" Edward O. Wilson
Fifth edition of Darwin's magnum opus and the first edition to contain the expression 'survival of the fittest.' Octavo, bound in contemporary half morocco over marbled boards, all edges marbled. Signed by Edward O. Wilson with a drawing of an ant. Wilson is a towering figure in the science of insects, animal behavior, evolutionary biology, environmental ethics, and the philosophy of knowledge itself and one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. He is "the father of sociobiology" and "the father of biodiversity." In 2006 he wrote essays for the voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals which were published in one volume, providing new insightful introductions to each of the four volumes and an afterword that examines the fate of evolutionary theory. He crafted a new index to accompany these four texts, which links the nineteenth-century, Darwinian evolutionary concepts to contemporary biological thought. Bookplate, in near fine condition. A nice association linking these two seminal figures of evolutionary biology.
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). “Without question a watershed work in the history of modern life sciences, Darwin’s Origin elaborated a proposition that species slowly evolve from common ancestors through the mechanism of natural selection. As he himself expected, Darwin’s theory became, and continues to be in some circles, the object of intense controversy” (American Philosophical Society). “The five years [of Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle] were the most important event in Darwin’s 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 thought” (PMM). "The fifth edition of 1869 was of 2,000 copies and was again much revised. It is in this one that Darwin used the expression 'survival of the fittest'... for the first time" (Freeman 387).
On the Origin of Species.
$3,800.00
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