Darwin's annotated copy of On the Origin of Species goes to auction

Christie’s expects volume, which shows the author refining his theory in light of new research, to fetch between £300,000 and £500,000

After eluding scholars for decades, a copy of On the Origin of Species with handwritten revisions by Charles Darwin has come to light and is due to be auctioned next month.

Christie’s has put an estimate of £300,000 to £500,000 on the annotated book, which it said will allow “for the first time a precise reading of Darwin’s exact revisions without the veil of reconstruction and translation … [it] provides an insight into his working method, and documents the further development of his ideas for his ‘big book’.”

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