DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) - photo 1
DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) - photo 2
DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) - photo 3

DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882)

Lot 185
14.12.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 69 300
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 870898
Lot 185 | DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882)
Estimate value
£ 50 000 – 80 000
DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882)

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. London: John Murray, 1859.

First edition of 'the most important single work in science' (Dibner). 'It will live as long as the "Principia" of Newton ... Mr. Darwin has given the world a new science, and his name should in my opinion, stand above that of every philosopher of ancient and modern times. The force of admiration can no further go!!!' (Alfred Russel Wallace, quoted by Janet Browne, Charles Darwin II, pp.139-140). Although some key observations and findings from the voyage of the Beagle acted as his initial inspiration, Darwin's ideas about the beneficial mutation of species did not cohere into the theory of evolution until his reading of Thomas Malthus's Essay on the Principle of Population in the latter half of 1838. The gestation of the theory was slow, but in 1856, following a conversation with Sir Charles Lyell about his hypothesis, Darwin was determined to bring it to a conclusion. Two years later he had composed an extended treatise entitled 'Natural Selection', some two thirds complete at 250,000 words. Then in June 1858, Darwin received a letter about evolution from Alfred Russel Wallace, who had independently arrived at similar conclusions. The two scientists issued a joint paper on the subject at the Linnean Society on 1 July. Darwin was now forced to publish, and urged on by Hooker, he condensed his big book into an 'abstract' of some 155,000 words. 'The book, stripped of references and academic paraphernalia, was aimed not at the specialists, but directly at the reading public'. Finally published as On the Origin of Species on 24 November 1859, it expounded a theory of evolution that was recognisably superior and of infinitely greater impact than all previous hypotheses explaining biological diversity. The only portion of Darwin's larger work to be published was Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication in 1868. 'A turning point, not only in the history of science, but in the history of ideas in general' (DSB). Dibner Heralds 199; Eimas Heirs 1724; Freeman 373; Garrison-Morton (1991) 220; Grolier, Science 23b; Norman 593; PMM 344b; Milestones of Science 49; Waller 10786.



Octavo-in-12s (198 x 124mm). Half-title, folding lithographic diagram, 32pp. of publisher's adverts at end dated June 1859 in Freeman’s variant 3 (no priority; tiny marginal ink spot on pp.100-101, dogearing to pp.233-234 and 255-258, tiny marginal tear to pp.461-462, occasional faint marginal finger-soiling, but generally clean and fresh). Original publisher's green cloth by Edmonds and Remnants with their ticket (spine sometime creased and the whole restored with repairs to head and foot, the lower portion containing publisher’s name and place heavily rubbed making it impossible to identify the binding variant, inner hinges and corners restored, upper cover with some faint uneven abrasion). Provenance: a small number of occasional neat pencil annotations, mainly towards beginning.





Special notice


No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
10.12.2022 – 13.12.2022
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

Preparing
Preparing "The Voyage of the Beagle" for publication
$100
On the Origin of Species
On the Origin of Species
$55 000
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
£10 000
DARWIN, Charles (1809-1882)
DARWIN, Charles (1809-1882)
£3 000
On the delay in publication of his Journal of Researches
On the delay in publication of his Journal of Researches
$100
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
£100
DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) and Alfred Russel WALLACE (1823-1913)
DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) and Alfred Russel WALLACE (1823-1913)
£15 000
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
£100

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>