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WALLACE, Alfred Russel (1823-1913). The Malay Archipelago: The land of the Orang-Utan, and the Bird of Paradise. A Narrative of Travel, with Studies of Man and Nature. London: Macmillan & Co., 1869. 2 vols, 8° (190 x 125 mm). Half-titles. 2 frontispieces, 9 maps (2 folding), 6 plates, numerous illustrations, 2pp. and 52pp. of publisher's ads at end of vol. I, the latter dated December 1868. (Occasional spotting.) Original green publisher's cloth, gilt devices on covers (hinges repaired, extremities lightly rubbed, tiny splits to head- and tailcaps, slight bubbling of cloth to upper cover of vol. II, some light soiling).
FIRST EDITION OF 'ONE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY'S BEST SCIENTIFIC TRAVEL BOOKS' (Smith). 'Wallace's name is now inextricably linked with his travels in the Indonesian region. He spent nearly eight full years there; during that period he undertook about seventy different expeditions resulting in a combined total of around 14,000 miles of travel ... His collecting efforts produced the astonishing total of 125,660 specimens, including more than a thousand species new to science' (Smith). During his travels, Wallace independently formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection. His letter to Darwin in 1858 outlining his ideas forced Darwin into publishing On the Origins of Species. Wallace dedicates the present work to Darwin 'as a token of personal esteem and friendship [and] also to express my deep admiration for his genuis and his works'. Norman 2176; Smith S715 (online bibliography hosted by Western Kentucky University). (2)
FIRST EDITION OF 'ONE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY'S BEST SCIENTIFIC TRAVEL BOOKS' (Smith). 'Wallace's name is now inextricably linked with his travels in the Indonesian region. He spent nearly eight full years there; during that period he undertook about seventy different expeditions resulting in a combined total of around 14,000 miles of travel ... His collecting efforts produced the astonishing total of 125,660 specimens, including more than a thousand species new to science' (Smith). During his travels, Wallace independently formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection. His letter to Darwin in 1858 outlining his ideas forced Darwin into publishing On the Origins of Species. Wallace dedicates the present work to Darwin 'as a token of personal esteem and friendship [and] also to express my deep admiration for his genuis and his works'. Norman 2176; Smith S715 (online bibliography hosted by Western Kentucky University). (2)