Charles Darwin's books

Charles Darwin wrote about twenty books,[1] including the most famous book in biology, the Origin of Species. The books covered the natural history sciences, now called geology, palaeontology, zoology, botany, anthropology, psychology and evolutionary biology.[2]

The Origin of Species is the most important single book in the biological sciences, and its main ideas are well-supported by modern research.[3]

The Voyage of the Beagle (1839) and The Descent of Man (1871) are also highly important.

Several of the other books were also ground-breaking.

List of books

  • 1838-43: Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle: published between 1839 and 1843 in five Parts (and nineteen numbers) by various authors, edited and superintended by Charles Darwin, who contributed sections to two of the Parts:
    • 1838: Part 1 No. 1 Fossil Mammalia, by Richard Owen (Preface and Geological introduction by Darwin)
    • 1838: Part 2 No. 1 Mammalia, by George Robert Waterhouse (Geographical introduction and A notice of their habits and ranges by Darwin)
  • 1839: Journal and Remarks (The Voyage of the Beagle)
  • 1842: The structure and distribution of Coral Reefs
  • 1844: Geological observations of volcanic islands
  • 1846: Geological observations on South America
  • 1849: Geology from A manual of scientific enquiry; prepared for the use of Her Majesty's Navy: and adapted for travellers in general. ed. John Herschel.
  • 1851: A Monograph of the Sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species. The Lepadidae; or, Pedunculated Cirripedes. Living barnacles.
    • 1854: A Monograph of the Sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species. The Balanidae (or Sessile Cirripedes); the Verrucidae, etc.
  • 1851: A Monograph on the Fossil Lepadidae, or, Pedunculated Cirripedes of Great Britain. Fossil barnacles.
    • 1854: A Monograph on the Fossil Balanidæ and Verrucidæ of Great Britain
  • 1859: On the Origin of Species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life
  • 1862: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign Orchids are fertilised by insects (Fertilisation of Orchids)
  • 1865: On the movements and habits of climbing plants (Linnean Society paper, published in book form in 1875)
  • 1868: The variation of animals and plants under domestication
  • 1871: The Descent of Man, and selection in relation to sex
  • 1872: The expression of emotions in Man and animals
  • 1875: Insectivorous plants
  • 1876: The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom
  • 1877: The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species
  • 1880: The power of movement in plants
  • 1881: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms

References

  1. A number which varies according to how they are counted, for several were published in parts.
  2. Freeman, Richard B. (1977), "On the Origin of Species", The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist (2nd ed.), Folkestone, England: Dawson, ISBN 0712907408, retrieved 2009-02-22
  3. Bowler, Peter J. 2003. Evolution: the history of an idea. 3rd ed, University of California Press, ISBN 0-520-23693-9