First Edition Darwin

Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart’sche, 1862. 225 by 150mm (8¾ by 6 inches). ¹⁄₄ calf; [6], 227 pp. Gilt ​“Darwin Orchideen” and tooling on spine. In German. Illustrated with 34 woodcuts. 

Very good. Rubbed spine, light browning throughout (a few pages heavy browning), rust residue at joints.

First (German) 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, and 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).

This 1st German edition contains information on Platanthera hookeri and Cypripedium that is not in the English 1st edition (as the title indicates, the German edition includes improvements by the author).

The 1st English edition was published May 15, 1862. This 1st German edition was published in October 1862 (See Börsenblatt, No. 130, October 20, 2195), and was the first translation; French would follow in 1870 and Italian in 1883. 

At the time of cataloguing, there are no auction records in Rarebookhub of the 1st German edition (although there are numerous auction records of the 1st English edition at impressive prices).

At the time of cataloguing, there are no other copies of the 1st German edition for sale (although, again, there are numerous copies of the 1st English edition available — at prices commensurate with 1st edition Darwin).