London: John Murray, 1861. 3rd Edition. Hardcover. London, John Murray, 1861 ('Third edition, with additions and corrections. | (Seventh Thousand.)')/ 1859. Octavo, xx, 538, [ii] (publisher's advertisements) pages plus a folding diagram facing page 123. Green cloth stamped and lettered in gilt on the spine, with the sides extensively stamped in blind; top edge uncut, others only lightly so; cloth lightly rubbed and marked; small damp stain to the front cover, encroaching slightly onto the spine; small light mark and ownership details on the front free endpaper, with a contemporary signature on the half-title; printing flaw to the corner of one leaf (affecting a few words of the text on page 244); minimal signs of age and use; a very pleasing copy in excellent condition overall. 'The third edition contained two important new features: a table of "Additions and Corrections, to the Second and Third Editions," by which is meant only the thirty-five passages he considered important enough to record, and "An Historical Sketch of the Recent Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species." Altogether he dropped 33 sentences, altered 617, and added 266, together 14 per cent of the total number of variations, while the second edition had only 7 per cent. The text was 35 pages longer than in the two previous editions, and the "Historical Sketch" added six and a half pages in smaller type ... Murray printed only 2,000 copies.' (Peckam, Morse (editor): 'The origin of species by Charles Darwin: a variorum text', 1959; pages 20-21).
This copy has the early label of bookseller T.M. Buzzard, Melbourne, demonstrating the early circulation of Darwin's work in the colony of Victoria. The half-title is signed 'W.H. Jarrett | 1864'. William H. Jarrett, 'painter and clergyman, arrived at Van Diemen's Land in 1841. He exhibited at many places, including the 1866 Melbourne Intercolonial Exhibition and the 1870 Sydney International Exhibition' (Design & Art Australia Online, recording his places of residence as Van Diemen's Land, 1841-1846; Victoria, 1846-1866; Melbourne, c.1866; and Sydney, c.1870-c.1879).
The signature stamp and blind-embossed address of J.M. Dwyer, 105 Port Road, Hindmarsh (an inner-city suburb of Adelaide) appear on the front free endpaper. Dr John Matthew Dwyer graduated in medicine in '1928, and remained at the Adelaide Hospital, working in several general medical and surgical positions, with a growing interest in pathology'. Following his lengthy war service 'he continued his interest in pathology and remained at the Adelaide Hospital as an assistant pathologist and the South Australian Government pathologist, a position he retained until his retirement in 1980' (Virtual War Memorial Australia).
Freeman 381 (in his 'variant b.' binding).
(AU)
