"A new edition, revised and augmented by the author": the 4th-11th American printings of Darwin's Origin of species
In the 19th century, American publishers Harper & Brothers and D. Appleton and Company vied to publish Charles Darwin's Origin of species in the United States. Appleton prevailed with four printings in 1860 (Freeman 1977). The first three American printings use the text of the 1859 Murray English first edition (Freeman F373). These three printings differ only in whether they have two (F377) or three quotes (F378 and F379) facing the title page. The title page of F379 indicates that it is a revised edition but Freeman (1977) reports no textual changes from the English first edition.
Starting with the 1860 fourth American printing there are substantial textual changes that continue unaltered with American printings in 1861 (F382), 1864 (F383), 1865 (F384), 1867 (F386a), 1868 (F386), 1869 (F388), and 1870 (F389a). All eight printings are unique in including the same substantive addenda and modifications that either never appear in other English or American editions or foreshadow later editions. On the title pages of all these printings appears the phrase 'NEW EDITION, REVISED AND AUGMENTED BY THE AUTHOR' in italic capitals. The date of publication is the only difference among the title pages of these eight printings, with the 1860, 1861, and 1864 versions using Roman numerals whereas the remainder use Arabic numerals. As these printings are otherwise identical, I collectively refer to them as the "augmented American printings".
Errors were introduced into the 1860 American printings that persist in all augmented American printings until the 1870 fifth American edition. (F390a) The three epigraphs facing the title page introduced in the 1860 F378 and F379 printings and in all the augmented American printings, follow the order of Whewell, Bacon, and Butler, whereas in English printings with three epigraphs the order is Whewell, Butler, and Bacon. The English order of epigraphs is restored in the 1870 fifth American edition.
On page 81 in the 1860 and all augmented American printings a sentence reads "Hence I can see no reason to doubt that natural selection might be most effective in giving the proper column to each kind of grouse, and in keeping that colour, when once acquired, true and constant". The word 'column' had been substituted for the word 'colour', which is found in all English editions. American printings were not corrected until the 1870 fifth American edition with the American spelling of 'color' now used as is the change from 'favoured' to 'favored' on the title page.
The 1860 augmented American printing is the first Origin of species in English to include a Preface, on pages v-xi. This was preceded in 1860 by a Preface in the first German edition. (F672) The purpose of this preface was to provide historical context and to credit naturalists who preceded Darwin's Origin of species (Johnson 2020). The preface of the augmented American printings is 1,740 words long, mentioning nineteen individuals who according to Darwin had preceded him in noting species change or the equivalent of Darwin's natural selection. Beginning in 1861 in the third English edition (F381) the Preface is renamed the Historical Sketch, remaining such through all subsequent editions. The length nearly doubled to 2,896 words resulting from the addition of fourteen additional individuals, often with some accompanying commentary.
On page 252 of the augmented American printings Darwin wrote in a footnote:
I have left the foregoing passages as they stand in the second edition, but I confess that an able and justly severe article, since published in the Saturday Review (Dec. 24th, 1859), shows that I have been rash. I have not sufficiently allowed for the softness of the strata underlying the chalk; the remarks made are more truly applicable to denuded areas composed of hard rocks. Nor have I allowed for the denudation going on on[sic] both sides of the ancient Weald-Bay; but the circumstance of the denudation having taken place within a protected bay would prolong the process. It has long been my habit to observe the shape and state of surface of the fragments at the bases of lofty retreating cliffs, and I can find no words too strong to express my conviction of the extreme slowness with which they are worn away and removed. I beg the reader to observe that I have expressly stated that we cannot know at what rate the sea wears away a line of cliff: I assumed the one inch per century in order to gain some crude idea of the lapse of years; but I always supposed that the reader would double or quadruple or increase in any proportion which seemed to him fair the probable rate of denudation per century. But I own that I have been rash and unguarded in the calculation.
This footnote was Darwin's first published attempt to correct an admittedly great exaggeration regarding the passage of geological time using gross overestimates of the weathering rates of sediments in the Weald in south-eastern England. The critique in the Saturday Review he mentions in the footnote is anonymous but very likely by Oxford geologist John Phillips (Archibald 2021). Estimates of geological time were half-heartedly corrected in the text of later American and English editions.
The most substantial addition to all augmented American printings is a seven page supplement (pages 426 to 432) placed after the main text and before the index. About this Darwin writes "The following additions and alterations, prepared by the author expressly for this edition, were received too late to be incorporated in their proper places". Sections of these additions and alterations appeared in the 1861 English third edition.
One notable correction Darwin did not make in this supplement or in any of the augmented American printings pertains to the famous bear-whale story found in the English first edition (F373). He hypothesized that a swimming bear catching insects could by means of natural selection evolve into a 'monstrous whale'. He greatly downplayed this story starting with the English second edition (F376) in early 1860 but for some reason maintained its original form in all augmented American printings until the 1870 fifth American edition appeared.
Darwin, C. R. 1860. On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. New York: Appleton. New ed., revised and augmented. [4th USA printing] F380 Text Image PDF
Archibald, J. D. 2021. Charles Darwin (critical lives). Reaktion Books.
Freeman, R. B. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. Dawson: Folkestone. 2d ed.
Johnson, C. N. 2020. Darwin's historical sketch. Oxford University Press.
Edited by John van Wyhe
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