On the Origin of Species

The publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species in 1859 marked a dramatic turning point in scientific thought, but it also ignited a firestorm of controversy. More than two decades following his intercontinental voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, the English naturalist carefully advanced his theory of evolution by natural selection, offering coherent and highly readable views of adaptation, survival of the fittest, and other concepts that form the foundation of modern evolutionary theory. The first edition of the book sold out on the day of publication, and as it continues to spark heated debate 150 years later, the work's impact is undeniable. Launching modern biology and informing virtually all contemporary literary, philosophical, and religious thinking, this is a book that changed the world, and now it is available as a portable, elegantly designed clothbound edition with an elastic closure and a new introduction.