On the Origin of Species

　　出版於1859年的《物種起源》是進化論之奠基人達爾文的第一部巨著，也是生物學史上的一部經典著作，對人類歷史有著極大的影響。達爾文以無數的翔實 資料和嚴密的邏輯推理論證了「遺傳」、「變異」、「物競天擇，適者生存」等觀點，用生存競爭與自然淘汰解釋生物進化的過程，理論平實易懂；且為生物學界第 一次將理論建立在完全科學的基礎上，被學術界、思想界稱為19世紀自然科學的三大發現之一。

　　本書中譯本<<物種起源>>由五南出版

　　On the Origin of Species outlines Charles Darwin's world-changing theory that life on Earth had not been brought into being by a creator, but had arisen from a single common ancestor and had evolved over time through the process of natural selection. Received with both enthusiasm and hostility on its publication, it triggered a seismic shift in our understanding of humanity's place in the natural world. It is not only a brilliant work of science but also a clear, vivid, sometimes moving piece of popular writing that reflects both Darwin's genius and his boundless enthusiasm for our planet and its species.

　　This beautiful Macmillan Collector's Library edition of On the Origin of Species is complete and unabridged, and features an afterword by Oliver Francis.

　　Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

查爾斯‧達爾文(Charles Darwin,1809-1882)

　　英國博物學家，演化論原創 者。一八O九年誕生於英國的舒茲伯利(Shrewsbury)，在舒茲伯利學校、愛丁堡大學和劍橋大學基督院受教育。他在一八三一年取得文學士學位，同 年，以船長隨伴的身分登上小獵犬號，展開為期五年的環球航行之旅。這場航行有兩個主要目的，一是畫出巴塔哥尼亞和火地島海岸圖，二是帶回全球一連串有關時 間的科學測定資料。在他尚未結束航程前，他部分牽涉到科學論題的信件已被私下發表，於是他一返國，立刻成為科學界的名人。

　　一八三九年，他被推舉為英國皇家學會會員。之後他繼續撰寫並發表這場航行中的發現，並努力蒐集材料驗證他的物種演化理論。一八五九年，他終於發表了《物種起源一書》，提出「物競天擇，適者生存」的見解，暗喻人類是猿猴的後裔，這革命性理論立刻引起熱烈爭議。

　　此後，他偕同一八三九年迎娶的表姊艾瑪‧維吉伍德及孩子們，長年住在他們坐落於英國肯特郡的「唐恩居」。他於一八八二年辭世，以英國最高榮譽之尊被埋葬在倫敦西敏寺。

　　相關著作
　　《小獵犬號航海記》

　　Born in Shropshire in 1809, Charles Darwin studied at Cambridge before sailing on the survey ship HMS Beagle between 1831 and 1836. His subsequent journal, The Voyage of the Beagle, brought him fame and repute. In 1859 he published On the Origin of Species, which he repeatedly revised through six editions. These were followed by The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, in which he fully applied his ideas of evolution to the human species. Darwin also published on subjects including botany, ecology and the expression of emotions in animal and man. He had ten children with his wife Emma, three of whom died in childhood. He died on 19 April 1882, aged 73.