London: Smith, Elder, 1840-October 1843, 5 parts in 3 volumes, 4o (315 x 245 mm),
A later binding of fine full blue straight grained morocco gilt.
Comprising:
Part I. OWEN, Richard (1804-1892). Fossil Mammalia. 1840. With preface (to the whole work) and geological introduction by Darwin. 32 lithographic plates by G. Scharf (one folding)
Part II. WATERHOUSE, George Robert (1810-1888). Mammalia. 1839. With geographical introduction and notes on habits and ranges by Darwin. 32 numbered hand-coloured lithographic plates and 3 numbered engraved plates.
Part III. GOULD, John (1804-1881). Birds. 1841. With notes on their habitats and ranges by Darwin and an anatomical appendix by T.C. Eyton. Errata leaf (torn). 50 numbered hand-coloured lithographic plates by Elizabeth Gould after John Gould, unsigned.
Part IV. JENYNS, Leonard (1800-1893). Fish. 1842. 29 numbered lithographic plates by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins.
Part V. BELL, Thomas (1792-1880). Reptiles. 1843. 20 lithographic plates by Hawkins.
‘The five years of the voyage (of the Beagle) were the most important event in Darwin’s intellectual life and in the history of biological science’ (DSB). This was the first publication resulting from the Beagle voyage, and it was a massive undertaking.
During the five-year voyage of the Beagle, Darwin “superintended the Zoology’s text, wrote introductions for the different parts, and added notes from his various
Beagle records about animal behaviour and habitats wherever appropriate, while also supervising the printers, proofreading the sheets, arranging artists for the plates, and keeping them all moving forward within a tight self-imposed budget” (Browne).
The 166 plates, 82 of which are beautifully hand-coloured, form a fascinating record of the tireless energy and flair which the relatively untrained Darwin put into the collection of specimens intended to interest zoological specialists.
The variation of finches between islands in the Galapagos, the fossil remains of extinct animals on the coast of South America, the geological evidence of upheaval and subsidence, gave Darwin the source material which resulted in the theory of natural selection and inspired ‘The Origin of Species’. Several artists were involved in preparing the plates, notably John Gould, assisted by his wife, B.W. Hawkins and G.R. Waterhouse
No one has influenced our knowledge of life on Earth as much as Charles Darwin (1809-1882). His theory of evolution by natural selection, now the unifying theory of the life sciences, explained where all of the astonishingly diverse kinds of living things came from and how they became exquisitely adapted to their particular environments. His theory reconciled a host of diverse kinds of evidence such as the progressive fossil record, geographical distribution of species, recapitulative appearances in embryology, homologous structures, vestigial organs and nesting taxonomic relationships. No other explanation before or since has made sense of these facts.
In further works Darwin demonstrated that the difference between humans and other animals is one of degree not kind. In geology, zoology, taxonomy, botany, palaeontology, philosophy, anthropology, psychology, literature and theology Darwin’s writings produced profound reactions, many of which are still ongoing. Yet even without his evolutionary works, Darwin’s accomplishments would be difficult to match. His brilliantly original work in geology, botany, biogeography, invertebrate zoology, psychology and scientific travel writing would still make him one of the most original and influential workers in the history of science.
Provenance: Old stamp contemporary with publication dates: ‘KoninklijkeNatuurkundige Vereeniging Ned. Indie’ (Royal Association for Natural Science of the Dutch East-Indies) with coat-of-arms; and stamp (prior to 1910) of BataviaaschGenootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen (Batavian Society for the Arts and Sciences) on titles. This copy is recorded in the Catalogus der Bibliotheek van de Koninklijke natuurkundige Vereeninging Nederlandish Indie (Batavia, Ernst & Co., 1884) in the section ‘Zoologische Reizen’ p 149 n 8.
