THE ELEMENTS OF DARWINISM: A Primer
First edition, advance review copy, of this scarce turn-of-the-century primer on Darwinism for "every day people."
Near fine.
Price: $2,500.00
THE ELEMENTS OF DARWINISM: A Primer
"I have found that the class addressed have generally little more idea of what Darwinism means than that it is 'an absurd idea that men are descended from monkeys.'"
A popular introduction to evolution by means of natural selection for "the young person, the person with little education, the person who is not studious, the masses, in short." Influenced by renowned naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, with whom he became acquainted due to their mutual work in land nationalization projects, Ogilvy turned his attention to the still widely misunderstood concept of evolution. Wallace, who had already provided the introduction for Ogilvy's THE THIRD FACTOR OF PRODUCTION, also reviewed the manuscript for this book. Certainly, with his connection to Darwin as "a co-discoverer and friend," he was one of the best possible beta readers for such a text.
Ogilvy stresses that this book was written to make the principles of Darwinism accessible to all by making the subject "simple, clear, and interesting" and avoiding "technicalities and dry structural details" — addressing what he felt was a general misunderstanding of Darwin's findings amongst the population he sought to reach. A contemporary review in the science journal NATURE confirms this, referring to a "widespread [...] ignorance and misapprehension of Darwin's teaching among the general public." Another, from THE EXPOSITORY TIMES, praises the "blessed simplicity in Mr. Ogilvy's way of presenting the subject."
Laid into this copy is a typed letter signed by the publisher sending it to a journal editor for review. OCLC locates only a handful of US holdings (and only a few more elsewhere). A gorgeous copy.
Read more: "Arthur James Ogilvy," Australian Dictionary of Biography Vol. 5; The Expository Times, Vol 12; Nature, 64, 28.
The Object
First printing. London: Jarrold & Sons, 1901. 7.25'' x 4.75''. Original green cloth with dark green stamped Art-Nouveau design, lettered in red to front board and in gilt to spine. Pictorial endpapers. 160 pages. Single typed sheet, dated 21 March 1901 and signed "Jarrold Sons," laid in. Boards with touch of wear to extremities. Faint offsetting to endpapers, light foxing to edges. Crisp and tight.
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