Books

London: John Murray, 1871. First edition, first printing. Quarter leather. This is the first edition, first impression of Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex – his first book to apply the term “evolution” - in a striking contemporary fine binding. The binding features quarter calf over marbled paper-covered boards, with blind tooled transitions between the boards and calf corners and spine. The spine features raised, gilt-decorated bands framed by double gilt rules, a black title panel, and gilt devices adorning undecorated compartments. The boards, endpapers, and page edges are all marbled in a matching nonpareil combed pattern, creating a compelling aesthetic consistency. First impression of the first edition is confirmed by issue points; in Volume I, “transmitted” is the first word on p.297; Volume II has errata on the title page verso (seventeen errata for Volume I and eight for Volume II) and a tipped-in “Postscript” at unpaginated pp.…

In 'The Descent of Man,' Charles Darwin applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details his theory of sexual selection.

Original first editions published by John Murray in 1871 can be identified by green cloth boards with gilt details on the spine and by the presence of advertisements at the end of the volume dated January 1871.