The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication

The publication of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" in 1859 ignited a public storm he neither wanted nor enjoyed.

Having offered his book as a contribution to science, Darwin discovered to his dismay that it was received as an affront by many scientists and as a sacrilege by clergy and Christian citizens.

To answer the criticism that his theory was a theory only, and a wild one at that, he published two volumes in 1868 to demonstrate that evolution was obvious to anyone who cared to look at a bull in a pasture or a dog on a hearth. In response those who insisted that species were distinct since creation, Darwin pointed to breeders of pigs and pigeons.

In reply to those who protested that human intervention is one thing and natural selection another, he argued, "If organic beings had not possessed an inherent tendency to vary, man could have done nothing".

To counter those who scorned his descriptions of species in exotic places he submitted local evidence of cabbages and cauliflower. Based on a wide array of sources, from skins and from skeletons, from scientific journals and breeding manuals, Darwin assembled a mass of proof - and a hypothesis about species reversion that risked his reputation anew. "The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication" is a two-volume compilation of his thorough and intensive research and the revolutionary conclusions that resulted.

A wealth of illustrations support and enhance his findings.

This fascinating and courageous undertaking eventually formed the foundation for our current understanding of evolution.