DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) and Alfred Russel WALLACE (1823-1913) - photo 1

DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) and Alfred Russel WALLACE (1823-1913)

Lot 139
13.07.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 315 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 794472
Lot 139 | DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) and Alfred Russel WALLACE (1823-1913)
Estimate value
£ 15 000 – 20 000
DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) and Alfred Russel WALLACE (1823-1913)

'On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties.' In: Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9. London: 1858.

'The first printed exposition of the theory of evolution by natural selection' (Norman 591). Darwin's theory of evolution – drawn from his studies during the voyage of the Beagle and clarified by Malthus's concept of the self-regulation of population growth – crystallised in 1838. However, he did not publish or debate it at that time, and, after writing an unpublished essay on the subject between 1839 and 1844 which was shown to a limited circle of friends, he did little further work on it. In April 1856 he described the theory to Sir Charles Lyell (whose Principles of Geology had been a major influence on the geological studies that led Darwin to the question of evolution – see lot 169), who urged Darwin to publish his hypothesis. Darwin began to write a book on evolution and natural selection in the summer of 1858, but the work – which was to become On the Origin of Species – progressed slowly. In February 1858 Wallace had independently developed the same theory as Darwin, and on 18 June 1858, Darwin received a letter from Wallace 'containing a perfect summary of the views which he had worked out in the preceding twenty years' (DSB III, p.573). Lyell and Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker suggested that Wallace publish his paper, prefaced by Darwin's essay of 1844 and a letter from Darwin to Asa Gray on natural selection dated 5 September 1857, which demonstrated that Darwin's theory had 'remained unaltered from 1839 to 1857' ('On the Tendency of Species...', p.46). Thus, on 1 July 1858, Lyell read Darwin's essay and letter, and Hooker read Wallace's 'On the Tendency of Varieties to depart indefinitely from the Original Type' to the Linnean Society, publishing them in the present issue of the Journal, and preparing the way for the publication of On the Origin of Species on 24 November 1859.



The Darwin-Wallace paper, due to the publishing quirks of the Linnean Society, was available in 5 different forms, but all were printed from the same setting of type. Besides the author's offprints, there were 4 forms of the Journal: separate parts were issued under the Zoology section (the present lot, in pink wrappers), the Botany section (green wrappers), or both together (in blue wrappers). All 3 bear the date 20 August 1858, and have priority over the later published complete journal volume made from reserved stock of the parts with reset titles. Freeman 346; PMM 344a; Grolier 23a (offprint issue); Norman 591 (offprint issue).



Octavo (223 x 141mm). Original journal part, completely unopened in the original printed pink wrappers (imperceptible soiling to wrappers, otherwise, fresh and clean).





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
13.07.2022 – 13.07.2022
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
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
£100
DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882)
DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882)
£1 500

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.
?>