First edition Charles Darwin Books

Charles Darwin’s 22 printed volumes are listed below in chronological order, linked to high resolution versions in the University of Oklahoma Libraries History of Science Collections’ Online Galleries:

1. Darwin, Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle, vol. 1 (F8.1), vol. 2 (F8.2).
2. Darwin, (1839), F11.

• Darwin, (1842), F271.
• Darwin, (1844), F272.
• Darwin, (1846), F273.
• Darwin, (1851), F339.1.
• Darwin, (1854), F339.2.
• Darwin, (1859), F373.
• Darwin, (1862), F800.
• Darwin, Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, 2 vols. (1868), vol. 1, F878.1 and vol. 2, F878.2.
• Darwin, Descent of Man, and Selection in relation to Sex, 2 vols. (1871), vol. 1, F937.1.; and vol. 2, F937.2.
• Darwin, (1872), F1142.
• Darwin, (1875), F1218.
• Darwin, (1875), F836.
• Darwin, (1876), F1249.
• Darwin, (1877), F1277.
• Darwin, (1880), F1325.
• Darwin, (1881), F1357.

Bibliographic note:
With the exception of the Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, all Darwin first editions were published in London by John Murray. An exact description for each title can be found using the indicated Freeman number (F#), which refers to its entry in the Freeman Bibliography, the standard description for Darwin editions.

Additional volume:

Any attempted numerical count of Darwin first editions swiftly encounters ambiguities. Here are a few of the questions that arise:

1. Should multi-author collaborations be included? Darwin’s first work, 3 volumes, was a collaboration between Darwin and 5 other scientists. We are counting it as #1 above because, in our determination, Darwin’s contributions of specimens and his role as superintending author were primary and not to be underestimated. Yet by this criterion one might exclude Krause’s biography of Erasmus Darwin.

2. Should posthumous works be included? Darwin’s Autobiography was not published during his lifetime, but first published along with his letters – the total is 23 if you count that, or 25 if you count all 3 volumes of the Life and Letters that includes the Autobiography. To have it both ways, we have chosen to place these 3 volumes on display in the Darwin@the Libraries exhibit, although we are not counting them among the 22 volumes published by Darwin himself.