1901 The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin | Illustrated Authorized Edition

Published in New York by D. Appleton and Company in 1901, this handsome illustrated edition of Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex presents one of the most consequential works in the history of evolutionary science.

First published in 1871, The Descent of Man extended Darwin’s theory of evolution directly to humanity and introduced his fuller examination of sexual selection. This discusses human origins, mental and moral development, the relationship between humans and other animals, and the elaborate characteristics and courtship behavior observed throughout the animal kingdom.

This volume is identified on the title page as the “Second Edition, Revised and Augmented,” with illustrations, and is additionally designated an “Authorized Edition.” Complete in one substantial volume with xvi preliminary pages and 688 pages of text, it is illustrated throughout with detailed black-and-white figures depicting birds, mammals, insects, anatomical structures, and other examples drawn from the natural world.

Bound in the publisher’s handsome terra-cotta red cloth, the volume features decorative botanical borders and corner ornaments stamped in black, with the title and Darwin’s name lettered in gilt upon the spine. Includes natural-history illustrations, and landmark scientific content which makes this an especially appealing volume for collectors of Darwin, evolutionary science, and illustrated natural history.

Condition: Very Good.

Size: 5 12/“ x 8”

Binding and interior in very good condition. Binding tight. Gilt bright. Clean pages. An attractive and highly presentable early twentieth-century edition of Darwin’s seminal work.