On the Origin of Species: By Means of Natural Selection

Charles Darwin

Mar 2012 · Courier Corporation

About this ebook

"The Origin is one of the most important books ever published, and a knowledge of it should be a part of the intellectual equipment of every educated person. . . . The book will endure in future ages so long as a knowledge of science persists among mankind." — Nature
It took Charles Darwin more than twenty years to publish this book, in part because he realized that it would ignite a firestorm of controversy. On the Origin of Species first appeared in 1859, and it remains a continuing source of conflict to this day. Even among those who reject its ideas, however, the work's impact is undeniable. In science, philosophy, and theology, this is a book that changed the world.
In addition to its status as the focus of a dramatic turning point in scientific thought, On the Origin of Species stands as a remarkably readable study. Carefully reasoned and well-documented in its arguments, the work offers coherent views of natural selection, adaptation, the struggle for existence, survival of the fittest, and other concepts that form the foundation of modern evolutionary theory. This volume is a reprint of the critically acclaimed first edition.

Ratings and reviews

When they give the title of this book now days it is interesting how they never use the full title. "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection and The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life" is the original name. So what is the true origin of this book?

One of the most important books of all time. Darwin lays out his explanation for how evolution works for everyone to understand. He would later be vindicated on most of his findings and corrected on others but his explanation was a triumph of scientific thinking. It is a fascinating read and despite being misunderstood and misrepresented by people who have personal beliefs that conflict with it's objective truth it stands as a testament to the life work of a powerful mind. I would recommend following this up with Richard Dawkins' books on evolution such as "The Selfish Gene" or Jerry Coyne's "Why Evolution Is True". However to understand evolution you must start here. This is the first great study on the subject.

I can't believe how inexpensive this and other books so essential to understanding human development and motivations are in this elibrary! I downloaded 3 immediately and am thrilled to have them close by to quote and refer in all my writings.

About the author

Charles Darwin was born in England in 1809 and attended the University of Edinburgh to study medicine. When he decided against that vocation, he enrolled at Cambridge where he earned a degree in theology. During an expedition to Africa and South America, Darwin continued his studies in natural science and began writing about his theories of natural selection. His work led to the publication of On the Origin of Species, a book that changed the world.

Charles Darwin: Original Thinking
Each generation of students comes to Darwin's epoch-making works, several of which are the basis of our publishing program in biology and related fields: The Essential Darwin, 2006; The Descent of Man, 2010; The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, 2006; and On the Origin of the Species, 2006.

In the Author's Own Words:

"A mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat which isn't there."

"I feel most deeply that this whole question of Creation is too profound for human intellect. A dog might as well speculate on the mind of Newton! Let each man hope and believe what he can."

"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science."

"There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved."

"Man with all his noble qualities, with sympathy which feels for the most debased, with benevolence which extends not only to other men but to the humblest living creature, with his god-like intellect which has penetrated into the movements and constitution of the solar system — with all these exalted powers — Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin." — Charles Darwin