WEISMANN, AUGUST.

Studien zur Descendenz-Theorie. 2 Bde. (I. Ueber den Saison-Dimorphismus der Schmetterlinge. II. Ueber die letzten Ursachen der Transmutationen.).

Leipzig, Wilhelm Engelmann, 1875-76. Royal8vo. Bound in 2 very nice green hmorocco, raised bands, profusely gilt spines with gilt lettering. All edges gilt. IV,94,(2);XXII,336 pp. and 7 chromolitographed plates (2+5) each with many figs. The plates strenghtened on verso. A fine clean copy.

First edition. A main work in the development of Darwinian evolutionary theory.
"In his Studien zur Descendenztheorie (Leipzig, 1875-1876) - with a preface by Darwin himself in the English translation (London, 1882) - Weismann treated the seasonal dimorphism of butterflies and questions of evolution and herdity. Although he remained one of the foremost defenders of the Darwinian theory of evolution through natural selection, Weismann - a strict selectionist, more so indeed than Darwin - proceeded to construct his own theory of heredity rather than accept Darwin’s hypothesis of pangenesis."

Order-nr.: 50683