Charles Darwin: 'On the Various Contrivances by which Britis...

Hammer

£240

Charles Darwin: 'On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects', London, John Murray, 1862, 1st edition, later issue, publisher's two 16pp catalogues of adverts at end both dated September 1871, 34 woodcut illustrations (of which 1 folding) as called for, vi,365,[1]pp + two 16pp catalogues of adverts at end, original blindstamped plum cloth gilt (worn, inner joints split, top board and backstrip detached from text block), front cover with gilt orchid design. Less than 2,000 copies of the first issue of the first edition were printed, these with adverts dated December 1861 and in ribbed cloth. Later issues of the first edition with adverts dated April 1868 and September 1871 also seemingly very scarce and printed from the same sheets, preceding the 1877 2nd edition. The first work by Darwin after his groundbreaking Origin of Species. This one complimenting his "evolutionary theory".