|
|
 |
|
|
|
Item Details
|
|
 |
 |
| Heading: |
|
| Author: |
Darwin, Charles |
| Title: |
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of the Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life |
| Place: |
London |
| Publisher: |
John Murray |
| Date: |
1859 |
| Item # : |
206018 |
|
|
| Sale Number |
|
424 |
| Lot Number |
|
14 |
| Sale Name |
|
|
| The Library of Roger Wagner |
| Sale Date |
|
03/18/2010 |
| Price realized |
|
$ 51000 |
| (Includes 20% Buyer's Premium) |
|
This item was sold in a live auction.
If another copy or a similar item comes
up for auction, we can let you know.
Pressing the button below will add
the title to your 'want list', and if
the item comes up for auction again,
we will notify you via email.
|
|
|
| Description: |
| ix, [1], 502 + 32 ad pp. Folding lithographed diagram. 7¾x4½, original blindstamped green cloth, spine lettered in gilt & decorated with 2 ornate gilt triangles. First Edition. |
| First edition of "certainly the most important biological book ever written" (Freeman). This first edition (often called the first issue, since the second edition was also dated 1859 with few differences) has the two quotations (not the three of later editions) on the verso of the half-title (p.ii); the misprint "speceies" on p.20, line 11; and the whale bear story on p.184. As Freeman notes, "There is only one issue of the first edition, the text being identical in all copies. There are, however, small differences in the cases and in the inserted advertisements...." There were 1250 copies of the first edition printed, of which only about 1170 copies were available to the trade, the remainder being reserved for presentation or review. It has often been stated that all copies were sold the first day of publication, but Freeman doubts the verifiability of this, "indeed once copies had reached the bookshops, up and down the country, how could anyone know whether they were sold or not." At any rate, the book was rapidly consumed by the public, and swiftly reprinted. This copy is (apparently) in Freeman's "b" binding state, with the M in Murray in the spine imprint below and between the N and D on London, but mostly the N. The inserted advertisements at rear are dated June 1859, with the text not surrounded by a frame. |
| Condition: |
| Light rubbing and mild bumps to spine ends and corner, ¼" spot to front cover; front hinge neatly split through at endpapers with the free endpaper & half-title detached, rear hinge cracked and nearly split; still a very nice, unsophistcated copy, contents clean & fresh, covers fairly bright, preserved in folding cloth box. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
previous lot next lot
|
|
|
|
