Darwin, Charles.

On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects...John Murray, 1862, first edition, folding wood-engraved plate and textual woodcuts, advertisements dated December 1861, original plum cloth (Freeman's variant a.), orchid design on upper cover, reddish-brown endpapers, hinges starting, cloth chipped at head and base of spine and along joint, further wear and staining to cloth; The Descent of Man, and selection in relation to sex. John Murrary, 1871, 2 volumes, first edition, second issue with pp.297-299 in volume 1 reset etc, advertisements dated January 1871 at the end of both volumes, illustrations in the text, original dark green cloth decorated in blind, black endpapers, covers of volume 1 almost detached, lower hinge of volume 2 nearly broken, further splitting and some tears to cloth on joints and edges; The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication. John Murray, 1868, 2 volumes, first edition, second issue, one of 1,500 copies, 43 woodcut illustrations, 1 leaf of advertisements dated at the end of volume 2, original smooth green cloth decorated in blind and with spines lettered gilt (with first issue imprint), dark green endpapers, cloth worn with tears on the spine (chipped at the head of volume 2), some staining; together with six others: The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.  1872; The Power of Movement in Plants. 1880; The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the same Species. 1877; these first editions, and three others, reprints; these last six also in original cloth bindings, heavily worn and sometimes chipped (11)

Freeman 800, 937, 878

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"The Descent, understood by Darwin as a sequel to the Origin, was written with a maturity and depth of learning that marked Darwin's status as an élite gentleman of science... the Descent of Man brought the full force of evolutionary proposals directly into the heart of ordinary Victorian life" (Oxford DNB).The Fertilisation of Orchids was the first of Darwin's works to offer extensive evidence supporting his theory of evolution through natural selection.