FIRST DANISH EDITION OF "THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES".

DARWIN, CHARLES.

Om Arternes Oprindelse ved Kvalitetsvalg eller ved de heldigst stillede Formers Sejr i Kampen for Tilværelsen. Efter Originalens femte Udgave oversat af J.P. Jacobsen.

Kjøbenhavn, Gyldendalske Boghandel (F. Hegel), 1872. 8vo. Bound in contemporary half calf with 4 raised bands and gilt lettering to spine. Spine rubbed. A few light brownspots throughout. Otherwise a fine and clean copy. (10), XIII, 605, (1) + 1 plate.

The Scarce first Danish edition (translated from the 5. edition) of Darwin's monumental "On the Origin of Species".

"In 1872 the book was translated into Danish by the young botanist J. P. Jacobsen. He was soon to become a celebrated novelist famous for Marie Grubbe - A Lady of the Seventeenth Century (1876) and Niels Lyhne (1880). In the early 1870's, however, he was still dedicated to science. In 1873 he received the University of Copenhagen's Gold Medal for his work on desmids, single-celled green freshwater algae. The Descent of Man was also translated by Jacobsen and appeared in 1874-75.

"In the early 1870s [With the Danish translation] the literary critic Georg Brandes started promoting Darwin's ideas as part of his liberal ideology and soon Darwinism became the mark of a new generation of intellectuals. Both the Steenstrup circle and the Brandes circle held Darwin in high esteem, but made completely different attributions to his theory. Consequently they both decided to raise money separately for the same Darwin.
Darwin had borrowed the collection of barnacles from the Zoology Museum in Copenhagen with the help of Steenstrup. As a compliment Darwin sent him a signed copy of the Origin. Steenstrup acknowledged Darwin as an important fellow naturalist, but like many of his colleagues at the University of Copenhagen he never accepted evolutionary theory. The initial scientific reaction to Darwin's work on evolution by means of natural selection was respectful, but made few converts. memorial in 1882. Independently, Darwinism transformed as it became part of popular culture. "(Kjærsgaard, Darwinism comes to Denmark)

Freeman: 643. (PMM 344 - first edition)

Order-nr.: 52105