Darwin, Charles

8vo (183 x 114mm.), PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY DARWIN ("With the kind | Regard of the | Author") on the half-title, and additional autograph manuscript fragment affixed beneath relating to his dispute with St George Mivart ("If Mivart had read my account of the niata Cattle during Drought in my Journal of Researches, he would have seen there the power of browsing on twigs in a case of life & death - appropos to the giraffe"), sixth edition ("with additions and corrections"), eleventh thousand, one folding chart, publisher's green cloth ruled in blind with printer's device on upper and lower board (a remboîtage), collector's green chemise and morocco backed slipcase, endpapers replaced, ink ownership signature on verso of front free endpaper, internal spotting

Marlborough Robert Pryor; thence by descent (sale, Sotheby's London, 15 December 2011, lot 16 [then sold with the original binding, which was highly defective])

Freeman 391

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate. Please there are tears and slight damage from adhesives on pp. 454-56.
"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."

PRESENTATION COPY OF "THE MOST IMPORTANT BIOLOGICAL BOOK EVER WRITTEN" (Freeman).

The sixth and final edition of The Origin of Species appeared in February 1827. Like the editions which preceded it, it was extensively revised, the most significant addition being an entirely new chapter. This manuscript fragment affixed to the half title of this copy relates directly to this chapter, which comprised a point-by-point demolition of St George Mivart's Genesis of Species, which had been published the previous year.

Mivart had begun his career as a fierce believer in the theories of natural selection, but later became determined to promote the idea of an "innate force" which governed evolution rather than chance. Mivart's attempts to reconcile his Catholic beliefs with his scientific ones ultimately failed to win him favour on either side.

The early 1870s saw Darwin and Mivart's relationship becoming increasingly hostile. Mivart wrote a particularly critical review of The Descent of Man for the Quarterly Review in 1871, stating that Darwin "set at naught the first principles of both philosophy and religion". The argument Darwin references in this fragment - concerning the example of the naiata cattle, who frequently perish during periods of drought because their jaw structure prevents them from eating twigs - is expanded in his additional chapter, beginning at p.177.

This copy was gifted by the author to Marlborough Robert Pryor (1848-1930). Pryor was a contemporary of Darwin's son Francis at Trinity College, Cambridge, where they both studied Natural Science. His grandson, Mark Pryor, went on to marry Darwin's great-grand-daughter Sophie Raverat in 1940.