Get a FREE Books of the Moment  sampler!
Before you go...
Check Out These
21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
See the List
Best Seller
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Read An Excerpt

Look Inside

Read An Excerpt
Read An Excerpt
Read An Excerpt
Read An Excerpt
Read An Excerpt

The Origin of Species

By Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life

(A Modern Library E-Book)

By Charles Darwin

By Charles Darwin

By Charles Darwin
Foreword by Edward J. Larson

By Charles Darwin
Foreword by Edward J. Larson

By Charles Darwin

By Charles Darwin

By Charles Darwin
Foreword by Edward J. Larson

By Charles Darwin
Foreword by Edward J. Larson

By Charles Darwin

By Charles Darwin

By Charles Darwin
Foreword by Edward J. Larson

By Charles Darwin
Foreword by Edward J. Larson

By Charles Darwin
Read by David Case

By Charles Darwin
Read by David Case

Category: Science | Nonfiction Classics

Category: Science | Nonfiction Classics

Category: Literary Collections

Category: Science | Nonfiction Classics

Category: Science | Nonfiction Classics

Category: Science | Nonfiction Classics

Category: Science | Audiobooks

Read An Excerpt

Look Inside

Read An Excerpt

Read An Excerpt

Read An Excerpt

Read An Excerpt

Read An Excerpt

Mass Market Paperback $6.95

Jun 01, 1999 | 512 Pages

Paperback $12.00

Aug 11, 1998 | 720 Pages

Paperback $16.99

May 01, 1991 | 441 Pages

Hardcover $24.00

Aug 31, 1993 | 720 Pages

Ebook $5.99

Oct 28, 2008 | 512 Pages

Ebook $2.99

Nov 01, 2000 | 720 Pages

Audiobook Download $24.98

Jan 01, 1992 | 1080 Minutes

All Formats
+
    The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
    Mass Market Paperback
    Jun 01, 1999 | 512 Pages
    See All Formats (6) +

    Paperback (3)
    –

    Hardcover
    +

    • Hardcover $24.00

      Aug 31, 1993 | 720 Pages

    Ebook (2)
    +

    • Ebook $5.99

      Oct 28, 2008 | 512 Pages

    • Ebook $2.99

      Nov 01, 2000 | 720 Pages

    Audio
    +

    Buy the Audiobook Download:

    About The Origin of Species

    The publication of Darwin’s The Origin of Species in 1859 marked a dramatic turning point in scientific thought. The volume had taken Darwin more than twenty years to publish, in part because he envisioned the storm of controversy it was certain to unleash. Indeed, selling out its first edition on its first day, The Origin of Species revolutionized science, philosophy, and theology.

    Darwin’s reasoned, documented arguments carefully advance his theory of natural selection and his assertion that species were not created all at once by a divine hand but started with a few simple forms that mutated and adapted over time. Whether commenting on his own poor health, discussing his experiments to test instinct in bees, or relating a conversation about a South American burrowing rodent, Darwin’s monumental achievement is surprisingly personal and delightfully readable. Its profound ideas remain controversial even today, making it the most influential book in the natural sciences ever written—an important work not just to its time but to the history of humankind.

    About The Origin of Species

    Introduction by Edward J. Larson
     
    Perhaps the most readable and accessible of the great works of scientific inquiry, The Origin of Species 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 Saturday Review noted, the uproar over the book quickly “passed beyond the bounds of the study and lecture-room into the drawing-room and the public street.” Based largely on Darwin’s experience as a naturalist while on a five-year voyage aboard H. M. S. Beagle, The Origin of Species 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–winning science historian Edward J. Larson, an introductory historical sketch, and a glossary Darwin later added to the original text.

    About The Origin of Species

    Since its publication in 1859, The Origin of Species has been the focal point of debate. Darwin’s analysis of flora and fauna calls into question the long-held concepts of spontaneous generation, divine creation, and the unrelatedness of many species. Instead, he argues for Natural Selection: species survive and evolve in response to environmental conditions and other circumstances through a process in which those creatures and plants with stronger, more enduring characteristics live to beget more adaptable offspring. It was Darwin’s research aboard the H.M.S. Beagle that led to the clash of intellectual titans – religion and science – over the true nature of humankind. Here is the book that started one of the greatest debates of the Western world.

    About The Origin of Species

    Introduction by Edward J. Larson
     
    Perhaps the most readable and accessible of the great works of scientific inquiry, The Origin of Species 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 Saturday Review noted, the uproar over the book quickly “passed beyond the bounds of the study and lecture-room into the drawing-room and the public street.” Based largely on Darwin’s experience as a naturalist while on a five-year voyage aboard H. M. S. Beagle, The Origin of Species 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–winning science historian Edward J. Larson, an introductory historical sketch, and a glossary Darwin later added to the original text.

    About The Origin of Species

    Introduction by Edward J. Larson
     
    Perhaps the most readable and accessible of the great works of scientific inquiry, The Origin of Species 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 Saturday Review noted, the uproar over the book quickly “passed beyond the bounds of the study and lecture-room into the drawing-room and the public street.” Based largely on Darwin’s experience as a naturalist while on a five-year voyage aboard H. M. S. Beagle, The Origin of Species 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–winning science historian Edward J. Larson, an introductory historical sketch, and a glossary Darwin later added to the original text.

    About The Origin of Species

    Introduction by Edward J. Larson
     
    Perhaps the most readable and accessible of the great works of scientific inquiry, The Origin of Species 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 Saturday Review noted, the uproar over the book quickly “passed beyond the bounds of the study and lecture-room into the drawing-room and the public street.” Based largely on Darwin’s experience as a naturalist while on a five-year voyage aboard H. M. S. Beagle, The Origin of Species 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–winning science historian Edward J. Larson, an introductory historical sketch, and a glossary Darwin later added to the original text.

    About The Origin of Species

    Introduction by Edward J. Larson
     
    Perhaps the most readable and accessible of the great works of scientific inquiry, The Origin of Species 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 Saturday Review noted, the uproar over the book quickly “passed beyond the bounds of the study and lecture-room into the drawing-room and the public street.” Based largely on Darwin’s experience as a naturalist while on a five-year voyage aboard H. M. S. Beagle, The Origin of Species 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–winning science historian Edward J. Larson, an introductory historical sketch, and a glossary Darwin later added to the original text.

    Also by Charles Darwin

    On the Origin of Species
    The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
    The Descent of Man
    On Natural Selection
    The Descent of Man
    See all books by Charles Darwin

    Also by Charles Darwin

    On the Origin of Species
    The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
    The Descent of Man
    On Natural Selection
    The Descent of Man
    See all books by Charles Darwin

    Also by Charles Darwin

    On the Origin of Species
    The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
    The Descent of Man
    On Natural Selection
    The Descent of Man
    See all books by Charles Darwin

    Also by Charles Darwin

    On the Origin of Species
    The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
    The Descent of Man
    On Natural Selection
    The Descent of Man
    See all books by Charles Darwin

    Also by Charles Darwin

    On the Origin of Species
    The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
    The Descent of Man
    On Natural Selection
    The Descent of Man
    See all books by Charles Darwin

    Also by Charles Darwin

    On the Origin of Species
    The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
    The Descent of Man
    On Natural Selection
    The Descent of Man
    See all books by Charles Darwin

    Also by Charles Darwin

    On the Origin of Species
    The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
    The Descent of Man
    On Natural Selection
    The Descent of Man
    See all books by Charles Darwin

    About Charles Darwin

    Charles Robert Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, to a wealthy intellectual family, his grandfather being the famous physician Erasmus Darwin. At Cambridge University he formed a friendship with J. S. Henslow, a professor of botany, and that… More about Charles Darwin

    About Charles Darwin

    Charles Robert Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, to a wealthy intellectual family, his grandfather being the famous physician Erasmus Darwin. At Cambridge University he formed a friendship with J. S. Henslow, a professor of botany, and that… More about Charles Darwin

    About Charles Darwin

    Charles Robert Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, to a wealthy intellectual family, his grandfather being the famous physician Erasmus Darwin. At Cambridge University he formed a friendship with J. S. Henslow, a professor of botany, and that… More about Charles Darwin

    About Charles Darwin

    Charles Robert Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, to a wealthy intellectual family, his grandfather being the famous physician Erasmus Darwin. At Cambridge University he formed a friendship with J. S. Henslow, a professor of botany, and that… More about Charles Darwin

    About Charles Darwin

    Charles Robert Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, to a wealthy intellectual family, his grandfather being the famous physician Erasmus Darwin. At Cambridge University he formed a friendship with J. S. Henslow, a professor of botany, and that… More about Charles Darwin

    About Charles Darwin

    Charles Robert Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, to a wealthy intellectual family, his grandfather being the famous physician Erasmus Darwin. At Cambridge University he formed a friendship with J. S. Henslow, a professor of botany, and that… More about Charles Darwin

    Product Details

    Mass Market Paperback | $6.95
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Jun 01, 1999 | 512 Pages | 4-3/16 x 6-7/8 | ISBN 9780553214635

    Paperback | $12.00
    Published by Modern Library
    Aug 11, 1998 | 720 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780375751462

    Paperback | $16.99
    Published by Prometheus Books
    May 01, 1991 | 441 Pages | 6 x 9 | ISBN 9780879756758

    Hardcover | $24.00
    Published by Modern Library
    Aug 31, 1993 | 720 Pages | 4-11/16 x 7-1/4 | ISBN 9780679600701

    Ebook | $5.99
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Oct 28, 2008 | 512 Pages | ISBN 9780553905731

    Ebook | $2.99
    Published by Modern Library
    Nov 01, 2000 | 720 Pages | ISBN 9780679641308

    Audiobook Download | $24.98
    Published by Random House Audio
    Jan 01, 1992 | 1080 Minutes | ISBN 9781415910191

    People Who Read The Origin of Species Also Read

    ‹ ›
    The Invisible History of the Human Race
    COSMOS
    Darwin's Ghosts
    Collapse
    A Short History of Nearly Everything
    Why Evolution Is True
    Dry Storeroom No. 1
    Microcosm
    Your Inner Fish
    Evolution for Everyone
    Deep Ancestry
    The Tree
    This Is Your Brain on Music
    Before the Dawn
    Inherit the Wind
    Breaking the Spell
    Evolution
    Mutants
    Sex, Time, and Power
    Adam's Navel
    The Blank Slate
    DARWIN FOR BEGINNERS
    Darwin, His Daughter, and Human Evolution
    The Botany of Desire
    The Island of Dr. Moreau
    Rocks of Ages
    Human Natures
    Darwin's Ghost
    Mother Nature
    Survival of the Prettiest
    The Naked Ape
    Consilience
    A Brief History of Time
    The Origins of Virtue
    The Web of Life
    When Elephants Weep
    The Coming Plague
    The Moral Animal
    The Beak of the Finch
    Origins Reconsidered
    Last Chance To See
    Origins
    A Natural History of the Senses
    Lives of a Cell
    The Immense Journey

    Inspired by Your Browsing History

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    Download our Spring Fiction Sampler Now
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Books for Better Living

    Inspiration for the best you

    Brightly

    Reading is just the beginning
    TASTE img

    TASTE

    An online magazine for today’s home cook

    Signature

    Making Well-Read Sense of the World

    LitFlash

    The eBooks you want at the lowest prices

    Read it Forward

    Read it first. Pass it on!
    First to Read

    First to Read

    Early access to Penguin Random House’s hottest new titles
    Unbound Worlds

    Unbound Worlds

    Exploring the science fiction and fantasy universe