Beschreibung:

DARWIN, Charles (1809-1882) and Alfred Russel WALLACE (1823-1913). "On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection," in: Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society , Vol. III, No. 9, pp. 45-62. London: Longman, Brown, Green, et al, 1858. 8 o (224 x 142 mm). Original printed blue wrappers; quarter morocco slipcase. THE JOINT FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT OF DARWIN AND WALLACE'S THEORY OF EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION. "Darwin had developed the essential elements of his theory by 1838 ... however, he chose to keep his work on evolution unpublished for the time, instead concentrating his energies first on the preparation for publication of his geological work on the Beagle voyage [see lot HFN 587], and then on an exhaustive eight-year study of the barnacle genus Cirripedia [see lot HFN 589-90]" (Norman). At the urging of Charles Lyell, Darwin began writing a vast encyclopedic work on natural selection in 1856, but was prompted to publish this joint publication with Wallace upon news of his independent discovery of the theory of natural selection in February 1858. "Lyell and Hooker suggested simultaneous publication of Wallace's paper and passages from Darwin's unpublished monograph, together with an extract from his letter to Asa Gray, written in 1857, in which he outlined the theory. This constituted the joint paper presented before the Linnean Society" (PMM). The Darwin-Wallace papers appeared in various issues, both with and without the inclusion of the botany papers. The first Norman copy is the first of the five forms cited by Freeman, distinguished as the journal issue, including both the zoology and botany papers (see lot *** for another issue). Freeman 346; Grolier/Horblit 23a; PMM 344a; Norman 591.