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Origin of Species

Charles Darwin is one of the most recognised names in science, and to some also the one of the most influential. He sits in the ranks alongside such names as Einstein, Galileo, and Newton. What he did for biology did as much to change our view of the universe and our world every bit as much as those other names, yet depending on one's outlook on life he is either hated and rejected, or loved and admired. I can't think of any one person that is held with such a spectrum of emotion as Charles Darwin, and it all generally boils down to what he wrote in his book commonly referred to as "Origin of Species." While Darwin wasn't the first person to discuss evolution, he was probably the first person to make a sound argument in favor of it, even though he had no knowledge of the basic elements that drive evolution. Often misused, considered by some a difficult read, the entire text is included here, in it's original first edition, or it's 6th edition. Much of it remains the same; the arguments he presents are still generally valid, but he does change some of the wording to perhaps appeal to his audience in some way.

I recommend that these texts be used by readers already somewhat knowledgable in evolution, and are curious as to what Darwin himself says. One should keep in mind that this book was written in the mid-1800's, so the style and prose are very much different than books you might read today. I also recommend reading "Darwin's Ghost" by Steve Jones, who has updated "Origin of Species" in a way that modern readers can comprehend. You can find this at Amazon.com or at bn.com

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First Edition

Introduction

1. Variation Under Domestication
2. Variation Under Nature
3. Struggle for Existence
4. Natural Selection
5. Laws of Variation
6. Difficulties on Theory
7. Instinct
8. Hybridism
9. On the Imperfection of the Geologic Record
10. On the Geologic Succession of Organic Beings
11. Geographical Distribution
12. Geographical Distribution Continued
13. Mutual Affinities of Organic Beings: Morphology: Embryology: Rudimentary Organs
14. Recapitulation and Conclusion