FIRST FULL POLISH TRANSLATION OF DARWIN'S "ORIGIN OF SPECIES"

DARWIN, KAROL [CHARLES].

O Powstawaniu Gatunków. [i. e. Polish: "Origin of Species"]. [Translated by Szymon Dickstein].

Warszawa, Przegladu Tygodniowego, 1884.

Large8vo. In contemporary half calf. Spine with wear, lacking the upper 1 cm. Small stamp to title-page. Hindges weak and back board detached from bookblock. Verso of title-page and first leaf on content. 437, (1), XVI [Including the plate] pp.

First edition of the first full Polish translation of Darwin's "Origin of Species". An attempt to publish a Polish translation was made as early as 1873. This was, however, never completed and only half of the work was published (Freeman 739), thus making the present copy the very first full Polish translation.
As seen in several other countries (especially in Japan) the majority of Polish intellectuals adopted a Social Darwinism perspective at a very early stage, rather than appreciating the English naturalist's caution in applying his ideas to human society.

"Before the first translations of Darwin's appeared [...], many Polish intellectuals, such as positivist writer Eliza Orzeszkowa (1841-1910) complained about the increasing confusion over the essence of the English naturalist's ideas, which had all too often been mixed up with all sorts of ideological debates. However, when Darwin's books were actually available in Polish translations, the novelty of his concepts gradually wore off, making room for more serious attempts to come to terms with evolutionary theory." (Glick, The Reception of Charles Darwin in Europe).

"It appears that the struggle for or against Darwinism in partitioned Poland prefigured a pattern that is relevant for Polish thinking up to the present day: the conflict of striving for progress with the help of powerful allies abroad and of virulently rejecting all foreign advice for fear of losing one's cultural identity." (Ibid.).

Translation was begun by Szymon Dickstein who in the processe of the translation committed suicide. It was completed by Józef Nusbaum who also translated 'The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication' in 1888.

Freeman 740

Order-nr.: 56005