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First edition, presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper in a secretarial hand, "Dr Weddell Bagnères-de-Bigorre from the author". This is a premier copy: Weddell is one of the earliest named recipients on Darwin's list of presentation copies. With comparable experience as scientists aboard significant expeditions to South America, Darwin and Weddell cordially exchanged findings, plant specimens, and presentation copies of their botanical works throughout their careers. Hugh Algernon Weddell (1819-1877) studied botany and medicine jointly, qualifying as a physician from the Lycée Henri IV in 1841. The following year, aged 23, he was chosen by Adrien-Henri de Jussieu of the Jardin des Plantes as botanist on the Castelnau expedition to South America. Weddell split from the venture in 1845 to concentrate exclusively on his own research in the Andes. He returned to France in 1848, having discovered coca and cinchona, among other plants, and collected over 5,000 specimens. These travels and a later trip to Bolivia established him as a specialist in South American flora. He served as an assistant naturalist at the Muséum d'histoire naturelle in Paris from 1850 to 1857, before settling in Bagnères-de-Bigorre and later in Poitiers. Histoire naturelle des quinquinas ou monographie du genre (1849), the two-volume Chloris Andina (1855-57), and Monographie de la famille des Urticés (1856) are among his most noted publications. "Weddell was the first to First edition, presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper in a secretarial hand, "Dr Weddell Bagnères-de-Bigorre from the author". This is a premier copy: Weddell is one of the earliest named recipients on Darwin's list of presentation copies. With comparable experience as scientists aboard significant expeditions to South America, Darwin and Weddell cordially exchanged findings, plant specimens, and presentation copies of their botanical works throughout their careers. Hugh Algernon Weddell (1819-1877) studied botany and medicine jointly, qualifying as a physician from the Lycée Henri IV in 1841. The following year, aged 23, he was chosen by Adrien-Henri de Jussieu of the Jardin des Plantes as botanist on the Castelnau expedition to South America. Weddell split from the venture in 1845 to concentrate exclusively on his own research in the Andes. He returned to France in 1848, having discovered coca and cinchona, among other plants, and collected over 5,000 specimens. These travels and a later trip to Bolivia established him as a specialist in South American flora. He served as an assistant naturalist at the Muséum d'histoire naturelle in Paris from 1850 to 1857, before settling in Bagnères-de-Bigorre and later in Poitiers. Histoire naturelle des quinquinas ou monographie du genre (1849), the two-volume Chloris Andina (1855-57), and Monographie de la famille des Urticés (1856) are among his most noted publications. "Weddell was the first to demonstrate scientifically the medical importance of coca... as well as the dangers attached to its misuse. His work contributed to the cultivation of cinchona in the Dutch East Indies and other tropical regions, and earned him the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 1855, a rare distinction for a foreigner. His observations on the fossils of Tarija in Bolivia and on the different varieties of cinchona led him to elaborate, between 1850 and 1860, a theory of adaptation that anticipated Darwin, at least in France" (Natural History Museum). In 1858, Darwin and Hooker consulted the new data in Weddell's 1856 monograph to calculate the number of species and varieties in large and small genera. Weddell sent Darwin a copy of his paper on the Cynomorium plant in 1860, and two years later Darwin responded in kind by gifting Weddell a copy of Orchids, on page 19 of which he cites Weddell's work on the "naturally produced" hybrids of Aceras. Weddell is also included on Darwin's presentation list for "Two forms in species of Linum" (1863), which prompted a written correspondence on pollination mechanisms. In his letter of 13 May 1863 (DCP-LETT-4161), Weddell apologizes to Darwin for being unable to find the requested samples of Ophrys apifera (bee orchids) in his local area: "If at any future period I am more lucky, I shall not fail to observe a sufficient number of them as respects their manner of fertilisation and make you acquainted with the results". The final exchange between Darwin and Weddell concerned membership of the Académie des Sciences. Darwin applied twice to become a corresponding member of its botanical section, but it was not until after Weddell's death that the Académie offered the newly vacant place to him (DCP-LETT-11640A). Darwin drafted his list of recipients of presentation copies of the Origin between August and October 1859. Weddell appears on the first page of the list as "Dr. Weddell Bagneres de Bigorres Haute Pyrenees" (Correspondence Vol. 8, p. 555). "There are no known author's presentation copies of the first edition inscribed in Darwin's hand" (Norman). Subsequent provenance: Louis Devergne, likely the archpriest (1891-1941) at Loudon, some 40 miles from Poitiers where Weddell died, his neat ink ownership inscription on front free endpaper; private French collector. READ MORE Octavo. Original green cloth, spine lettered and decorated in gilt (Freeman variant b, no priority), brown endpapers. Housed in a green quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. Folding diagram lithographed by W. West. 32-page publisher's catalogue at rear dated June 1859. Extremities rubbed and bumped, cloth and gilt bright, small patch of damp stain at upper edge of rear cover with resulting area visible at gutter of rear endpapers, contents notably clean bar very occasional faint spotting and soiling, neatly repaired closed tear at fore edge of G5, tiny nick at fore edge of P5: a fine copy. Freeman 373; Garrison-Morton 220; Horblit 23b; Norman 593; Printing and the Mind of Man 344b. "Appendix III - Presentation copies of Origin", in Frederick Burkhardt & James Second, eds, The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Volume 8: 1860, 1993.

"On the Origin of Species" is a pivotal scientific work by Charles Darwin, published in 1859. In this seminal book, Darwin proposed the theory of evolution through natural selection, reshaping humanity's understanding of the natural world. He presented a comprehensive argument supported by extensive observations and evidence from various fields, discussing the gradual modification of species over time. Darwin's central idea was that all species of organisms evolved from common ancestors and that the mechanism driving this evolution was natural selection. He argued that within populations, organisms exhibit variations, and those better adapted to their environment have a higher chance of surviving and passing on their advantageous traits to future generations. Over successive generations, these advantageous traits accumulate, leading to the divergence of species and the formation of new ones. Darwin drew upon diverse scientific disciplines, including geology, paleontology, embryology, and anatomy, to support his theory. He detailed examples from nature, such as the diversity of finches in the Galápagos Islands and artificial selection in domesticated animals, to illustrate his points. The book triggered widespread debate, challenging prevailing religious and scientific beliefs about the origin and diversity of life. While controversial at the time, "On the Origin of Species" laid the groundwork for modern evolutionary biology. Its profound impact continues to shape scientific inquiry, influencing fields ranging from genetics to ecology and sparking ongoing discussions about life's interconnectedness and the processes that drive biological diversity.