On the Origin of Species First Edition (1859) — Darwin's Revolutionary Work

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin, published by John Murray in London on November 24, 1859, is arguably the most consequential scientific book ever published. It transformed humanity’s understanding of life on Earth, provoked a scientific and cultural revolution that continues to this day, and remains one of the most sought-after first editions in the rare book market.

The Publication

Background

Darwin had developed his theory of evolution by natural selection by 1838 but delayed publication for over twenty years, aware of the radical implications of his ideas and anxious about the response. He was finally compelled to publish when Alfred Russel Wallace independently arrived at a similar theory in 1858.

The book was written in intense haste during 1858–1859. Darwin considered it an “abstract” of a larger work he intended to write (but never completed in full form). Despite its rushed composition, the Origin is a masterpiece of scientific argumentation — carefully building its case through accumulated evidence from geology, paleontology, biogeography, embryology, and artificial selection.

The First Edition

Publisher: John Murray, London Publication date: November 24, 1859 Print run: 1,250 copies Price: 15 shillings

The entire first edition was taken up by the trade on the day of publication — meaning that booksellers ordered all 1,250 copies before the publication date. This is sometimes described as “sold out on the day of publication,” though the copies were sold to the trade, not directly to individual readers.

Subsequent Editions

Darwin revised the Origin through six editions during his lifetime:

The first edition is by far the most valuable because it represents Darwin’s original, unrevised argument.

Identifying the First Edition

Key Points

The first edition of the Origin is identified by the following features:

Title page: “ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES / BY MEANS OF NATURAL SELECTION, / OR THE / PRESERVATION OF FAVOURED RACES IN THE STRUGGLE / FOR LIFE. / BY CHARLES DARWIN, M.A., / FELLOW OF THE ROYAL, GEOLOGICAL, LINNAEAN, ETC., SOCIETIES; / AUTHOR OF ‘JOURNAL OF RESEARCHES DURING H.M.S. BEAGLE’S / VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.’ / LONDON: / JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. / 1859.”

Publisher’s catalog: A 32-page publisher’s catalog dated November 1859, bound at the back. The presence and date of this catalog helps confirm the first edition (later printings have different catalog dates or no catalog).

Binding: Publisher’s green cloth, stamped in blind on both boards with a decorative border, and stamped in gold on the spine with the title and author. The cloth is a distinctive dark green.

Collation: viii, [4], 502, [2] pages, plus a folding diagram.

Folding diagram: A single folding diagram illustrating the divergence of species, inserted between pages 116 and 117.

Errata: Two lines of errata on the verso of the half-title page.

Text errors: Page 20, line 11: “speceies” (misspelling of “species” — corrected in the second edition).

First Edition vs. Second Edition

The second edition (January 1860) is often confused with the first because it was published so soon after. Key differences:

• The second edition corrects the “speceies” error on page 20
• The second edition includes additional corrections throughout
• The publisher’s catalog in the second edition is dated January 1860 or later
• The second edition print run was 3,000 copies (larger than the first)

Market and Value

Price History

First editions of the Origin have appreciated dramatically:

• 1970s: $2,000–$5,000
• 1990s: $50,000–$100,000
• 2010s: $200,000–$500,000
• Recent sales: Exceptional copies have exceeded $500,000

The wide price range reflects condition variation. The Origin was a book that was read — heavily, repeatedly, and by people who were more interested in its ideas than in preserving its physical form. Finding a copy in fine condition with all points correct is genuinely difficult.

Condition and Value

Factors affecting value within these ranges:

• Folding diagram — must be present (often missing or damaged)
• Publisher’s catalog — presence and correct date add value
• Original cloth — rebindings are significantly less valuable
• Inscription or provenance — copies with notable ownership history command premiums

Notable Sales

• A presentation copy inscribed by Darwin to his friend and supporter Thomas Henry Huxley would be one of the most valuable scientific books in the world
• Copies from the libraries of significant Victorian scientists carry provenance premiums
• Darwin’s own annotated copies (used for preparing subsequent editions) are held by institutional libraries and are essentially priceless

Why It Matters

Scientific Significance

The Origin of Species is the founding document of modern biology. Darwin’s argument — that species evolve through natural selection, that all life on Earth shares common ancestry, that the diversity of life is the product of millions of years of gradual change — was the most radical reinterpretation of the natural world since Copernicus.

The book provided:

• A unifying theory for biology (as Newton’s mechanics unified physics)
• An explanation for the diversity and adaptation of life
• A framework for understanding paleontology, biogeography, embryology, and anatomy
• A challenge to the prevailing view of special creation

Cultural Impact

Beyond biology, the Origin transformed:

• Philosophy (challenging teleological and theological accounts of nature)
• Social thought (inspiring — and being misapplied in — Social Darwinism)
• Literature (influencing naturalism and realism)
• Religion (forcing reinterpretation of creation narratives)

Collecting Significance

The Origin consistently ranks among the most important printed books in Western civilization. It appears in every major list of significant books: Printing and the Mind of Man, the Grolier Club’s “One Hundred Books Famous in Science,” and countless other compilations.

For collectors, the Origin represents the ideal convergence of scientific importance, cultural significance, moderate rarity (1,250 copies is rare but not impossibly so), and consistent market demand. It is one of the books that, if a serious collector can acquire a copy, they should.

The first edition of the Origin of Species is not just a landmark of scientific publishing — it is one of the few books that genuinely changed how humanity understands itself and its place in the natural world.