On the Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First Edition (Harvard Paperbacks)

I've been happy with this Harvard Paperbacks facsimile of the first edition, but my reason for posting a review is not to endorse one publisher's version over another but to encourage you to read at least some version of the original Darwin.First, this is a much easier read than one might imagine. It's true that any book from 150 years ago is going to have a different style, but Darwin's subject is very interesting and he's a master of it.Second, this book is interesting and informative. Before reading it I had imagined Darwin as some sort of "arm-chair philosopher," some guy who sat around speculating on how the various animals and plants got here. Not so. Darwin was a serious biologist who corresponded with other biologists all over the world. Consequently, his book is rich with anecdotes. For example, he crawled around on Scottish highlands and discovered that what appeared to be fields covered with weeds also had 25-year-old trees that nobody ever noticed because the sheep were nibbling off the tops. When he fenced off some areas, lo and behold the area was soon populated by trees.Third, Darwin's is not anti-religion. Many people imagine he was some sort of antichrist, but the truth is he was a deeply religious Christian and a solid creationist. He himself was more appalled by the implications of his theory than we can imagine today. Remember, he didn't even know about Mendel's law of combination, much less the germ theory of disease or DNA. When he figured out that Nature was doing the same thing the selective breeders of his day were doing, and realized that "natural selection" could fully explain the origins of different species, he was as shocked as anybody at the ramifications.Fourth, the intellectual honesty is astonishing. These days we only see partisan presentations of issues like Climate Change. If you read a book supporting it, you'll only find arguments supporting it. Conversely, if you read a book debunking it, you'll only see arguments against it. In contrast, Darwin tried to break his own ideas. He devotes an entire chapter to "Difficulties on Theory" where he not only raises the questions that he thinks might be the most troublesome, he admits that certain discoveries could be fatal to his theory. For example, on page189 he writes, "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organism existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down." The book is full of similar statements, which I find very refreshing.In summary, this is an excellent book, almost timeless in its clarity and elegance. I thought it might be too dense or complex, but I found it a surprisingly easy read. Try it.

NOTE that this is a review of the Harvard University Press facsimile of the first edition of "On the Origin of Species" (intro by Ernst Mayr). This is NOT a commentary on Darwin's text.I blithely bought and began reading the Modern Library's "Origin", then came across this facsimile of the first edition in the library. Hmm, I wondered. I used the quotations in the front of my copy to deduce that I was reading the sixth (and last) edition, rather than the first. While that, too, has its considerable interest in illustrating the twists and turns of Darwin's thought during those years, the evolution revolution was made by the first edition. As Ernst Mayr says in his introduction, "When we go back to the Origin, we want the version that stirred up the Western world, the first edition." Besides which, if one is going to do any historical research, one needs this edition, for contemporary references use the first edition's pagination.But most importantly, this is the firstborn of Darwin's mind, long gestating, and contains his most confident and positive statement of his thesis. He had tried to anticipate all the major objections to his theory and answer them preemptively here. Still, at the time of this writing he had no critics, so the tone and content display none of that waffling that mar, to a certain extent, the final edition.This volume was put together in 1964, and Ernst Mayr's introduction dates from that time. It is a good historical introduction to Darwin and his contribution, and some more specific remarks on the first edition, its general approach and some of its path-breaking arguments. Also included in the extra matter is a bibliography of Darwin's published works, plus current works on evolution, as of 1964. There is also a quite comprehensive index of the text, which should make the book considerably more usable to us than it was to Darwin's original readers.My only gripe is that Harvard University Press only offers a paperback, although it used to have a hardcover edition. The paperback version is readable enough at 5.5 by 8.2 inches, yet it's too thick for its size, and, while definitely not of poor quality, vulnerable to the binding breakage typical of the breed, so serious scholars of the work might find themselves literally pulling it apart. For you and me, though, it should be just fine.

I am reviewing, specifically, the Harvard paperback facsimile printing of the 1859 first edition of Darwin's masterpiece.This is a very handsome edition of one of the most important books ever written, measured in terms of its impact on humanity. The book is an exact reprint of the 1859 first edition; it is a handy size, and though the paper is more like newspaper grade and could be higher quality, I was actually pleased that it was not too stiff and will allow opening without breaking the spine. (I really do not like cheap paperbacks that almost require you to break the spine to read the book, and then pages begin falling out.) All around, this is a very useful edition, if not a bit overpriced.Of course, in terms of the content, it is a real bargain. You get Darwin's original, unpolished work in all its offensive, revolutionary glory. The introduction by Ernst Mayr is a special treat, as well, explaining the importance of the work.Five stars!

La conservación de este tipo de productos.

Got the book in one day - thanks to Prime. The book print and quality is of utmost standard. There is enough space around the page to take notes. This is the version of origin that Darwin published.

Livre exactement comme décrit.Très bon vendeur.À répéter.

Es una copia exacta de la edición original. Lo compré como regalo para un futuro profe de Biología que tiene buen nivel de inglés y está encantado.

love this book