DARWIN | On the Origin of Species, 1859

DARWIN, CHARLES

On the Origin of Species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. John Murray, 1859

8vo, FIRST EDITION, folding lithographed plate, 32pp. publisher's catalogue at end (dated June 1859) [Freeman's variant 2], original green blind-stamped cloth with spine in gilt [Freeman's variant b] with binder's label of Edmonds & Remnants on lower fixed endpaper, collector's slipcase, lacking half-title, some soiling and contemporary pencil notes, ownership signature in ink to title-page, several tears with repairs, fore-edges of first four leaves silked, folding plate loose with repair to one fold, recased with some professional repairs to head and foot of spine, small ink blot to upper cover, small abrasion to front fixed endpaper

Described by Freeman in his bibliographical handlist as "the most important biological book ever written" and within Grolier Club, Darwin (2004) as "one of the most influential books ever written".

The ownership signature reads “Geo: Fred: Armstrong | Jes: Coll: Cam: | 1864.” Born in 1842 in Doncaster, the son of a woollen-draper, Armstrong attended King’s College School in London before Cambridge. He gained his B.A. in 1864 and his M.A. three years later. He then studied engineering with Richard Johnson, engineer-in-chief of the Great Northern Railway and joined the engineering staff of that company. He became engineer for the Isle of Man Railways before becoming Regius Professor of Engineering at Edinburgh University in 1885. He died in 1900.

LITERATURE:

Freeman 373; Norman 593; PMM 344b; Grolier Club, Darwin (2004), pp. 19-20

PROVENANCE:

George Frederick Armstrong (1842-1900), ownership signature

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