POLISH TRANSLATION OF DARWIN'S 'THE DESCENT OF MAN'

DARWIN, KAROL [CHARLES].

Dobór plciowy. Przetlomaczyl z angielskiego za upowaznieniem autura Ludwik Maslowski. [i.e. Polish: "Descent of Man", Translated by Ludwik Maslowski]. 2 vols.

Lwów, Ksiegarnia Polska, 1875-1876.

8vo. In contemporary half cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Previous owner's stamp and another owner's sginature to title-page. Light wear to extremities, otherwise a fine and clean set. 262, (2); 313, (3) pp.

Rare first Polish edition of the second and third parts of the Descent of Man, but published separate from the first part, as one work, hence the title 'Sexual Selection', a translation authorised by Darwin in response to Malowski's request to make the translation (Letter 8910, 14 May 1873).
Whereas "Origin of Species" established Darwinism as a turning point in nineteenth-century biology "The Descent of Man" helped built a bridge between biology, the social sciences, and the humanities and made Darwinism a broad system of research designs, theoretical principles, and philosophical outlook.

The numeration of parts is from Chapter I to Chapter VI (vol. I) and from Chapter VII to Chapter XIV (vol. II). It is generally based on the first English edition (1871) but at the end of vol. II the Polish publisher has added the short note on the brains of man and apes of T. H. Huxley, which was originally published in the second English edition (1874).

"It was translated into Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian and Swedish in Darwin's lifetime and into ten further languages since." Freeman.

Maslowski (1847-1928) studied medicine and natural sciences in Paris before returning to Poland, where he took part in the January Uprising: he remained active in politics, primarily as a journalist. At first an ardent Darwinian, he later became a fierce opponent.

Not in Freeman
Darwin Online: F1101b.1, F1101b.2.
OCLC locates four copies worldwide (Cornell Univ., Huntington Libr., Yale Univ. Libr., National Library of Poland,)

Order-nr.: 55758