DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882). On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are fertilised by Insects, and on the Good Effects of Intercrossing. London: John Murray, 1862.

DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882). On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are fertilised by Insects, and on the Good Effects of Intercrossing. London: John Murray, 1862.

First edition of the first of Darwin's works to publish extensive evidence supporting his theory of evolution through natural selection. In a letter to his publisher, John Murray, Darwin wrote: ‘I think this little volume will do good to the Origin, as it will show that I have worked hard at details, & it will, perhaps, serve [to] illustrate how natural History may be worked under the belief of the modification of Species’ (24 Sept 1861; Darwin Correspondence Project 3264). In Life and Letters, vol. III p.274 (see lot 726), Asa Gray is quoted as saying: ‘if the Orchid-book (with a few trifling omissions) had appeared before the “Origin” the author would have been canonized rather than anathematized by the natural theologians’. Freeman 800; Norman 595.

First edition: octavo-in-12s (197 x 125mm). Folding wood-engraved plate, wood-engravings in the text (folding plate slightly unevenly folded with associated crumpling of edges, one or two spots). Original dark plum cloth panelled in blind with fine central gilt block orchid stamped on upper cover, conforming to Freeman’s variant b, with 2 sets of 16pp. ads at end dated September 1871, brown coated endpapers, uncut (extremities lightly rubbed, backstrip with horizontal split but without loss, headcap with slight nick). Provenance: Frederick du Cane Godman (bookplate).

On the Various Contrivances by which Orchids are Fertilised by Insects. London: John Murray, 1877. Octavo (191 x 128mm). Half-title, text-illustrations, with fig. 1 now incorporated, 32pp. of ads at end dated January 1876 (light spotting confined to half-title and to ads at end). Original green cloth, unopened. Freeman 801. Second, revised edition. – The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom. London: John Murray, 1876. Octavo (191 x 128mm). 3-line errata slip (occasional light spotting to only a few leaves at beginning and end). Original green cloth (head and tail of spine faintly rubbed). Freeman 1249. First edition, considered by Darwin to be ‘the complement of that on Orchids’ (Introductory Remarks, p.4).

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