On the Origin of Species

<p>Darwin's theory of natural selection issued a profound challenge to orthodox thought and belief: no being or species has been specifically created; all are locked into a pitiless struggle for existence with extinction looming for those not fitted for the task.</p><p><br></p><p>Yet (1859) is also a humane and inspirational vision of ecological interrelatedness revealing the complex mutual interdependencies between animal and plant life climate and physical environment and-by implication-within the human world.</p><p>Written for the general reader in a style that combines the rigour of science with the subtlety of literature The Origin of Species remains one of the founding documents of the modern age.</p>