The publication of Darwin's The Origin of Species in 1859 marked a dramatic turning point in scientific thought. The volume had taken Darwin more than twenty years to publish, in part because he envisioned the storm of controversy it was certain to unleash. Indeed, selling out its first edition on its first day, The Origin of Species revolutionized science, philosophy, and theology.

The publication of Darwin’s The Origin of Species in 1859 marked a dramatic turning point in scientific thought. The volume had taken Darwin more than twenty years to publish, in part because he envisioned the storm of controversy it was certain to unleash. Indeed, selling out its first edition on its first day, The Origin of Species revolutionized science, philosophy, and theology.

Darwin’s reasoned, documented arguments carefully advance his theory of natural selection and his assertion that species were not created all at once by a divine hand but started with a few simple forms that mutated and adapted over time. Whether commenting on his own poor health, discussing his experiments to test instinct in bees, or relating a conversation about a South American burrowing rodent, Darwin’s monumental achievement is surprisingly personal and delightfully readable. Its profound ideas remain controversial even today, making it the most influential book in the natural sciences ever written—an important work not just to its time but to the history of humankind.

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 VARLATION UNDER DOMESTICATION

Chapter 2 VARLATION UNDER NATURE

Chapter 3 STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE

Chapter 4 NATURAL SELECTION

Chapter 5 LAWS OF VARIATION

Chapter 6 DIFFICULTIES ON THEORY

Chapter 7 INSTINCT

Chapter 8 HYBRIDISM

Chapter 9 ON THE IMPERFECTION OF THE GEOLOGICAL RECORD

Chapter 10 ON THE GEOLOGICAL SUCCESSION OF ORGANIC BEINGS

Chapter 11 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Chapter 12 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION-continued

Chapter 13 MUTUAL AFFINITIES OF ORGANIC BEINGS:MORPHOLOGY:EMBRYOLOGY:RUDIMENTARY ORGANS

Chapter 14 RECAPITULATION AND CONCLUSION

GLOSSARY