The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. II

Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.8
Word count
986K words
Chapters
99

Tags

English Originals Natural Sciences Human OriginsSexual SelectionBiological EvolutionHistory of ScienceScience EnlightenmentNature ObservationEvolution TheoryWestern ThoughtAcademic MonographCross-Cultural View

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. II (1st Edition)Author: Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882,Language: English, Class: QH: Science: Natural history, Release Date: Jun 25, 2011

Editor's review

This is the first edition of the second volume of Darwin's The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, part of the foundational work of evolutionary theory. This volume focuses on the theory of sexual selection, covering the evolutionary mechanisms of secondary sexual characteristics in animals, mate competition, and natural-historical evidence of aesthetic preference; it is a key text for understanding how Darwin placed sexual selection alongside natural selection as a core evolutionary force. As a public-domain eBook, it preserves the argumentative style and numerous observational examples of nineteenth-century scientific writing, allowing readers to see how evolutionary thought was gradually constructed from natural-history materials. Its value lies not in contemporary biological conclusions but in grasping the original context and reasoning path of the theory; it suits readers in the history of science, evolutionary biology, and Victorian intellectual history for comparative reading. Because it is the original English edition and quite long, it is best used with a guide or related works in the history of science rather than read straight through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read Volume I or a related introduction first to understand the overall framework of Darwin's argument before entering this volume.
  2. Take notes by chapter theme, distinguishing observational examples from theoretical inferences to help sort out the argumentative structure.
  3. When encountering numerous species cases, skim them and focus on grasping the difference between sexual selection and natural selection.
  4. Read alongside background materials in the history of science, and avoid judging a nineteenth-century text directly by contemporary standards.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

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FAQ

Is this book the complete content of The Descent of Man? No. This volume is the second volume of the work and mainly discusses sexual selection and its relation to sex; it does not contain all of the first volume's discussion of human origins and evolution. To fully understand Darwin's view of human evolution, it should be read together with Volume I.
What biological background is needed to read this book? No professional training in modern biology is required, but basic English reading ability and a preliminary understanding of evolutionary theory are expected. The many natural-history observations and nineteenth-century terminology may pose obstacles, so reading a general introduction to evolution first is recommended.
Which edition is this text? The information indicates it is the first edition, Volume II, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. It preserves the original English wording without modern adaptation, making it suitable for readers studying the original text rather than those seeking a popularized version.

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About the author

Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882 Author

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was an English naturalist known worldwide for his theory of evolution. The library holds 37 of his works, including On the Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, and The Voyage of the Beagle. On the Origin of Species sets out the mechanism of natural selection, The Descent of Man extends the evolutionary perspective to humankind, and The Voyage of the Beagle records his observations from a round-the-world expedition. His writing rests on careful observation and abundant empirical evidence, building arguments step by step in plain, rigorous prose that makes complex theory accessible to general readers. His works profoundly changed how we understand the origin and diversity of life and influenced fields far beyond biology. Public information is limited; this profile is based on the library's holdings and common knowledge.