Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation - Charles Darwin - Bauman Rare Books

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Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation

Charles DARWIN

Item#: 61058 We're sorry, this item has been sold

Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation

DARWIN’S CROSS AND SELF FERTILISATION

DARWIN, Charles. The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom. London: John Murray, 1878. Octavo, original green cloth gilt, uncut and partially unopened.

Second edition of this proof of the superiority of cross-pollinated plants.

First published in 1876, “this survey of the nature of the mechanisms favoring cross fertilization and the advantages to be gained by it was considered by Darwin to ‘form a complement’ to his work on the Fertilization of Orchids” (Freeman, 152). In 1860, with his major work on evolution behind him, Darwin, the geologist turned zoologist, indulged himself in the pursuit of his botanical studies. The problem of cross-pollination fascinated him. His early experiments with cross-pollinated and self-pollinated plants yielded this observation: “To my surprise, the crossed plants were plainly taller and more vigorous than the self-fertilized ones.” Experiments conducted over the next 12 years on 57 species of plants led to the publication of The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation. “It was his biggest book on plants, based on a vast number of experiments and many painstaking observations. The whole thing stands as an archetypal example of how to carry out such scientific experiments, and provides overwhelming proof that cross-pollination produces stronger and more viable offspring than self-pollination. Darwin also came tantalizingly close to uncovering the important features of the hereditary mechanism that Mendel was investigating at about the same time, using the same kind of experiments but… different kinds of plant, in which the hereditary patterns happen to show up more clearly” (White & Gribbin, 172). With 32-page publisher’s catalogue dated January 1878 at rear. Freeman 1251.

Light foxing to first and last few leaves, minor wear to original cloth. A near-fine copy.

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