The Origin of Species

<b>Introduction by Edward J. Larson</b><br> &#160;<br> &#65279;Perhaps the most readable and accessible of the great works of scientific inquiry <i>The Origin of Species</i> sold out its first printing on the very day it was published in 1859. Theologians quickly labeled Charles Darwin the most dangerous man in England and as the <i>Saturday Review</i> noted the uproar over the book quickly &#147;passed beyond the bounds of the study and lecture-room into the drawing-room and the public street.&#148; Based largely on Darwin&#146;s experience as a naturalist while on a five-year voyage aboard H. M. S. <i>Beagle</i> <i>The Origin of Species</i> set forth a theory of evolution and natural selection that challenged contemporary beliefs about divine providence and the immutability of species. This Modern Library edition includes a Foreword by the Pulitzer Prize&#150;winning science historian Edward J. Larson an introductory historical sketch and a glossary Darwin later added to the original text.