[NATURAL HISTORY]. DARWIN, Charles (1809-1882). The Descent of Man. London: John Murray, 1871.

2 volumes, 8vo (191 x 121 mm). Numerous wood-engraved vignettes in the text. (Very light marginal toning.) Later half dark olive morocco gilt, marbled boards, spines in 6 compartments with 5 raised bands, gilt-lettering in 2, others gilt-framed, top edges gilt, stamp-signed by Zaehnsdorf (spines sunned). Provenance: Valentine Hollingsworth (morocco book label).

THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE WORD "EVOLUTION" IN DARWIN'S WORKS.

FIRST EDITION, second issue, without "transmitted" as the first word on p.297 of Vol. I, and without the printer's note and errata on the verso of the title-leaf in Vol. II and without the leaf containing Darwin's note tipped after p.viii in Vol. II.

"This is really two works. The first demolished the theory that the universe was created for Man, while in the second Darwin presented a mass of evidence in support of his earlier hypothesis regarding sexual selection" (Garrison-Morton). In 1847 Wallace and Bates, friends through their shared interest in entomology, set out to "travel to the tropical jungles to collect specimens, ship them home for sale, and gather facts 'towards solving the problem of the origin of species' - a frequent topic of their conversations" (DSB). Wallace and Darwin's research so closely mirrored each other that in 1858 the two published a joint first announcement of the theory of natural selection. Bates stayed in South America for eleven years, returning the year after Darwin presented his first papers to the Linnean Society. He was an avid supporter of Darwin's arguments, and Darwin showed great interest in his research into mimicry amongst butterflies, which Bates saw "a most beautiful proof of natural selection." Darwin described one of Bates' papers on the subject as "one of the most remarkable and admirable papers I have ever read in my life" (DSB). Freeman 128-29; Garrison & Morton 170; Norman 599.

[NATURAL HISTORY]. DARWIN, Charles (1809-1882). The Descent of Man. London: John Murray, 1871.