On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life
London: John Murray, 1860.
Second edition, second issue with "fifth thousand" listed on the title page. x, 502, 32 pp. Bound in publisher's emerald green cloth with decorative stamping in blind and gilt, brown coated endpapers. Very Good+ with slight darkening and lean to spine and crimping at head and tail, light bumping to corners and board edges, and shallow indentation to rear board center. Hinges repaired, two preliminary leaves beginning to detach, overopened throughout; binding cracked but holding at p. 121. Occasional foxing to margins. Gift inscription dated 1860 to half-title page, recipient's bookplate to front pastedown, small binder ticket to rear pastedown. A remarkably good copy with crisp blindstamping and bright gilt.
An immensely influential work, considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology, in which Darwin postulates that species evolve over the course of generations through natural selection. This copy was gifted to the Reverend Archibald Weir by a grateful student, "in remembrance of his preparing him, in Classics, for the preliminary examination at Apothecaries Hall."
Price: $22,000