Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species (1859)

Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in London on 24 November 1859, arguing for evolution by natural selection. The work was released by John Murray at a price of fifteen shillings, with a first printing of 1,250 copies. Darwin had prepared an abstract of his larger work, avoiding discussion of human origins, following earlier correspondence with Lyell and Hooker.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Darwin began writing an abstract of his work on species in July 1858, concerned about scientific rigor for journal publication. By mid-March 1859, he considered early publication, and Lyell suggested John Murray as the publisher. Darwin assured Murray that the book would not be more unorthodox than the subject required, explicitly avoiding the discussion of human origins.

Publication Details. The book was first published on Thursday, 24 November 1859, priced at fifteen shillings with a first printing of 1,250 copies. John Murray III, who continued the publishing business, released Darwin's Origin of Species in 1859. The initial title sheet proposed an abstract on the origin of species and varieties through natural selection.

Subsequent Editions. The second edition, containing 3,000 copies, was released on 7 January 1860. It incorporated corrections and added a quotation from Charles Kingsley, along with the phrase "by the Creator" to the closing sentence. The third edition followed in 1861, featuring an introductory appendix on the recent progress of opinion on the origin of species.

People involved

Sources

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.