Charles Darwin (1809–1882)
The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex
Volume 1. First edition. Seventh thousand. London: John Murray, 1871
CCA.24.42, closed

Darwin owned this copy of the seventh thousand of Descent of man, published in April 1871. The success of the book had necessitated two new print runs after it was first published in the February, which gave Darwin the opportunity to make corrections to the text. His son Francis retained this copy after his fathers’ death. After being handed down through two more generations, it was sold to Cambridge University Library in the 1960s.