The Origin of Species

Perhaps the most readable and accessible of the great works of scientific inquiry, The Origin of Species sold out its first printing on the very day it was published in 1859. Theologians quickly labeled Charles Darwin the most dangerous man in England and, as the Saturday Review noted, the uproar over the book quickly “passed beyond the bounds of the study and lecture-room into the drawing-room and the public street.” Based largely on Darwin’s experience as a naturalist while on a five-year voyage aboard H. M. S. Beagle, The Origin of Species set forth a theory of evolution and natural selection that challenged contemporary beliefs about divine providence and the immutability of species. This Modern Library edition includes a Foreword by the Pulitzer Prize–winning science historian Edward J. Larson, an introductory historical sketch, and a glossary Darwin later added to the original text.

About the Author

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist best known for his influence on the study of evolution. Born in 1809, Darwin started off studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh but switched to study natural science at Cambridge. After publishing his journal from the five-year voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, Darwin spent more than 20 years developing his hypotheses and ideas before publishing On the Origin of Species in 1859. While initially controversial, Darwin's ideas became the basis for modern evolutionary science. He died in 1882 and was buried in Westminster Abbey near Isaac Newton.