Shakespeare, William. Origin of Species - photo 1
Shakespeare, William. Origin of Species - photo 2
Shakespeare, William. Origin of Species - photo 1

Origin of Species

Sold
$ 300 000
Auction dateClassic
15.10.2021 00:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 627525
Lot 35 | Origin of Species
DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882). On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. London: John Murray, 1859.

Fine first edition of "the most important single work in science" (Dibner). "A turning point, not only in the history of science, but in the history of ideas in general" (DSB). 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 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," 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 in a print run of 1250 copies, the work expounded a theory of evolution that was recognizably superior and of infinitely greater impact than all previous hypotheses explaining biological diversity. Dibner Heralds (1980) 199; Freeman 373; Garrison-Morton (1991) 220; Grolier English 193; Grolier Science 23b; Norman 593; PMM 344b; Sparrow Milestones 49; Waller 10786.

Octavo (197 x 124 mm). Half-title, folding lithographic diagram; 32-page list of John Murray's books at end dated June 1859. Publisher's green cloth, covers stamped in blind, spine lettered and decorated in gilt, brown coated endpapers, with the ticket of Edmonds & Remnants of London [Freeman binding variant a] (hinges weak and showing, light spotting to fore-edge, few pencil erasures to flyleaves); custom clamshell (faded). Provenance: gift inscription dated December 1859 to front flyleaf, contemporary marginalia on the deafness of blue-eyed cats on p. 12 – Julius H. Cohn, purchased in New York c.1929 – by descent to Theodore Cohn.
Artist:William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Applied technique:Pencil
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
01.10.2021 – 15.10.2021
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

Antiquities of Mexico
Antiquities of Mexico
$16 000
Verbiest's world map
Verbiest's world map
$12 000
A previously unknown invoice for furnishings
A previously unknown invoice for furnishings
$2 800
Iliad, in Latin
Iliad, in Latin
$1 500
New York City commissions a painting of Washington
New York City commissions a painting of Washington
$100
The East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
The East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
$1 000
Inscriptiones sacrosanctae vetustatis
Inscriptiones sacrosanctae vetustatis
$1 200
Huguan County, Lu’an Prefecture, Shanxi Province
Huguan County, Lu’an Prefecture, Shanxi Province
$1 600

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.