The Various Contrivances by which Orchids are Fertilised by Insects

Darwin, Charles

ISBN 10: 1904078451 / ISBN 13: 9781904078456

Published by Langford Press, Peterborough, 2012

About this Item

vi, 365, 34 text figs. 8vo. PB. As new. Facsimile of 1st edition 1862. [9781904078456].

Seller Inventory # S60132

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Various Contrivances by which Orchids are Fertilised by Insects
• Publisher: Langford Press, Peterborough
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1904078451
• ISBN 13: 9781904078456
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: As New
• Seller catalogs:
  • BOTANY,ORCHIDS

About this title

Synopsis

Charles Darwin was fascinated by the way the flowers of orchids had evolved to attract specific insects. Noting the very long spur of Angraecum sesquipedale, he predicted that it could only be fertilized by a moth with a 35cm tongue, a statement that was ridiculed until such a species was discovered after his death. This limited edition facsimile of his seminal 1862 book on the subject is bound in cloth using traditional methods. Slightly off-mint.

About the Author

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist and author best-known for his revolutionary theories on the origin of species, human evolution, and natural selection. A life-long interest in the natural world led Darwin to neglect his medical studies and instead embark on a five-year scientific voyage on the HMS Beagle, where he established his reputation as a geologist and gathered much of the evidence that fuelled his later theories.A prolific writer, Darwin s most famous published works include The Voyage of the Beagle, On the Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals. Darwin died in 1882, and in recognition of his contributions to science, is buried in Westminster Abbey along with John Herschel and Isaac Newton.