The Various Contrivances by Which Orchids are Fertilised by Insects
Second Edition. Revised. Fifth Thousand.
20cm x 13cm. xvi, 300 pages, 32 advertisements. Green cloth, gilt lettering.
Darwin’s first published work after the Origin of Species, providing evidence supporting his theory of evolution through natural selection. Darwin believed this volume tackled the question of design in nature. He maintained that the complex internal arrangements and ornate ridges of orchids were not created for the sake of beauty, but for the functional purpose of facilitating reproduction. This copy with the advertisements dated June, 1897, and from the collection of the former Premier of Queensland, Sir Thomas McIlwraith, with his embossed stamp.
Some mottling to cloth. Foxing to first and last pages.. Good Condition.
$450.00 AUD
1 in stock