The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex
by Charles Darwin
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
The binding features quarter calf over marbled paper-covered boards, with blind tooled transitions between the boards and calf corners and spine. The spine features raised, gilt-decorated bands framed by double gilt rules, a black title panel, and gilt devices adorning undecorated compartments. The boards, endpapers, and page edges are all marbled in a matching nonpareil combed pattern, creating a compelling aesthetic consistency.
First impression of the first edition is confirmed by issue points; in Volume I, transmitted is the first word on p.297; Volume II has errata on the title page verso (seventeen errata for Volume I and eight for Volume II) and a tipped-in Postscript at unpaginated pp. ix-x referring to errors which were reset for the second issue. The sixteen pages of advertisements for Murrays standard works are not present, removed when the book was rebound, as were the half-title leaves.
Condition is very good overall. Despite overall toning (the calfs original red mostly settling to brown) and scuffing, the exceptional contemporary bindings are square, clean, tight, and original, with no sign of repair, restoration, or hinge failure. The first impression contents are bright with light spotting primarily confined to the first and final leaves. The sole previous ownership mark is the same name and date of January 1878 inked on the upper right corner of each blank leaf recto preceding the title page. Given that the subject blank leaves were added when the book was finely bound, it follows that the binding was commissioned during or before January 1878.
On the Origin of Species (1859) fomented a reorientation that would eventually supplant dogmatic creationist hierarchy with rationalistic naturalist biology. But in Origin, Darwin had said little about how his ideas applied to human beings. In The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex Darwin argued that all creatures are subject to the same natural laws. Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin. And in Descent the cause was finally given its enduring name. On page two of Volume I Darwin wrote these great classes of facts afford, as it appears to me, ample and conclusive evidence in favour of the principle of gradual evolution. This is the first time the word evolution is thus applied in his published work. Descent posited the theory Darwin called sexual selection and attempted to set forth a naturalistic explanation for the mind and for moral behavior. That Darwins conceptions continue to both fuel rational debate and fervid ire testifies to their fundamental impact. That many of his concepts are settled theory testifies to their empirical insight and veracity.
This particular set is not only an artifact of landmark scientific thought, but also testimony to Victorian era bibliophilic history, craft, and sensibilities. "BOUND BY MUDIE is printed on the lower front free-end paper versos. Charles Edward Mudie (1818-1890) founded a circulating library that served a wide, middle-class audience who could not afford the exorbitant price of new books, making literature significantly more accessible to the public. By 1852 he had over 25,000 subscribers. Between 1853 and 1862 Mudie is said to have added almost 960,000 volumes to his stock in hand, thus becoming one of the major distributors of fiction in Britain at the time. His business also serviced readers overseas, shipping tin trunks of books to India, Cape Colony, Egypt, and other British colonies. The glee occasioned by the arrival of Mudie's shipments was playfully commented upon by W. S. Gilbert in Bab Ballads when he wrote: 'New boxes come from across the sea / from Mr. Mudie's Libraree'. (ODNB).
Synopsis
The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex is a book on evolutionary theory by English naturalist Charles Darwin, first published in 1871. It was Darwin's second great book on evolutionary theory, following his 1859 work, On The Origin of Species. In The Descent of Man, Darwin applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details his theory of sexual selection.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Churchill Book Collector (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 006663
- Title
- The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex
- Author
- Charles Darwin
- Format/Binding
- Quarter leather
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition, first printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- John Murray
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1871
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
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Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Fine Binding
- An elaborate and decorative binding, example including a leather-bound book with gilt edges, raised blind stamps, raised ribs,...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Errata
- Errata: aka Errata Slip A piece of paper either laid in to the book correcting errors found in the printed text after being...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Recto
- The page on the right side of a book, with the term Verso used to describe the page on the left side.
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Hinge
- The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Rebound
- A book in which the pages have been bound into a covering replacing the original covering issued by the publisher.
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.