Category Archives: Darwin at the Library

Charles Darwin, Formation of Vegetable Mould, Through the Action of Worms, 1881; F1357 The last work Darwin published is one of his least-known, but his study of mold and earthworms drew upon his broad interests. Far from being small and … Continue reading →

Charles Darwin regarded natural selection as a “universal law of nature.” Its comprehensive scope led him to investigate the natural world with a breadth of vision that encompassed both plants and animals. Darwin’s last several books were detailed botanical studies, … Continue reading →

Charles Darwin, Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), F1142. In 1872, to illustrate continuities between humans and animals, Charles Darwin explored the expression of the emotions. Dogs have an amazing ability to convey emotions. Cats, also, can … Continue reading →

Charles Darwin, Descent of Man, and Selection in relation to Sex, 2 vols. (1871), vol. 1, F937.1.; and vol. 2, F937.2. In 1871 Charles Darwin published a two-volume work which followed up on the brief aside in the Origin that … Continue reading →

Darwin, Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, 2 vols. (1868), vol. 1, F878.1 and vol. 2, F878.2. In a two-volume work, Darwin investigated the degree of variation evident in domesticated animals. For example, the Rock pigeon was the parent … Continue reading →

Darwin, On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects (1862), F800. After publishing the Origin of Species (1859), Darwin spent the remainder of his life exploring the ramifications of his theory of evolution by … Continue reading →

After refining his ideas about species change in the special case of barnacles, in 1859 Charles Darwin published a general account of his theory of descent with modification by means of natural selection. Contemporaries referred to the origin of species … Continue reading →

After Darwin’s emergence as a popular writer and a leading geologist, he turned to some thoughts that had been nagging him about species change. Darwin would devote the next decade to theorizing about the evolution of species. Darwin, Monograph on … Continue reading →

On the heels of the Beagle voyage, the magnificent Zoology of the Beagle drew attention to Charles Darwin as a promising young scientist, while at the same time the travel narrative made him well-known to the public. But Darwin established … Continue reading →

Which of Darwin’s books was the most popular during his own lifetime? Charles Darwin’s second book was a travel narrative, a lively account of the Beagle voyage originally published in 1839 as the third volume of the Journal of Researches. … Continue reading →