The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex

Darwin_Descent of Man.jpg

Creator

Charles Darwin

Title

The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex

Coverage

London

Publisher

John Murray

Date

1871

Subject

2 vols., Bound in original green publishers’ cloth.

Description

First edition, second issue, with the list of nine additional works by Darwin on the verso of the title-page in place of the errata. 

In The Descent of Man, Darwin applied his theories of evolution and sexual selection to the human species for the first time. Earlier works, such as On the Origin of Species (1859) focused exclusively on the plant and animal world. Darwin’s first published use of the word ‘evolution’ appears in this work.