Library

On the Origin of Species

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) is one of the most consequential books ever written, presenting the theory of evolution by natural selection. Drawing on breeding, biogeography, embryology, and the fossil record, Darwin argues that species are not fixed but descend with modification from common ancestors, shaped by the struggle for existence and the survival of favorable variations. It transformed biology and humanity's understanding of its place in nature.

Start readingYour notebookShow in graph

Contents

1. Epigraphs
2. Introduction
   1. Chapter I
   2. Chapter II
   3. Chapter III
   4. Chapter IV
   5. Chapter V
   6. Chapter VI
   7. Chapter VII
   8. Chapter VIII
   9. Chapter IX
   10. Chapter X
   11. Chapter XI
   12. Chapter XII
   13. Chapter XIII
   14. Chapter XIV