{"id":18591,"date":"2026-02-04T10:40:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T18:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/?p=18591"},"modified":"2026-05-28T14:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T21:44:11","slug":"on-the-origin-of-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/on-the-origin-of-species\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Origin of Species"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


Pictured above: “Darwin, c. 1854, when he was preparing On the Origin of Species<\/em> for publication”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Origin of Species<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Charles Darwin<\/a>‘s seminal work, On the Origin of Species<\/em>, was first published<\/a> on November 24, 1859. It is “considered the founding document of modern evolutionary science” and “one of the most important books ever written.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Library resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Books<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>
On the origin of species<\/em> (eBook<\/a>, 2008) by Charles Darwin and Gillian Beer (ed.)
“In the Origin of Species<\/em> (1859) Darwin challenged many of the most deeply held beliefs of the Western world. His insistence on the immense length of the past and on the abundance of life-forms, present and extinct, dislodged man from his central position in creation and called into question the role of the Creator.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>
The annotated Origin: a facsimile of the first edition of On the origin of species<\/em> (print<\/a>, 2009) by Charles Darwin and James T. Costa
“By leading readers line by line through the Origin, Costa brings evolution’s foundational text to life for a new generation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>
The theory that changed everything : ‘On the Origin of Species’ as a work in progress<\/em> (eBook<\/a>, 2017) by Philip Lieberman
“In an exploration that ranges from Darwin’s transformative trip aboard the Beagle to Lieberman’s own sojourns in the remotest regions of the Himalayas, this book relates fresh, contemporary findings to the major concepts of Darwinian theory, which transcends natural selection.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>
Origins of Darwin’s evolution: solving the species puzzle through time and place<\/em> (eBook<\/a>, 2017) by J. David Archibald
“Carefully retracing Darwin’s gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin’s Evolution<\/em> achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his transformative theory.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>
The book that changed America: how Darwin’s theory of evolution ignited a nation <\/em>(print<\/a>, 2017) by Randall Fuller
“Traces the impact of Charles Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species’ on a diverse group of writers, abolitionists, and social reformers, including Henry David Thoreau and Bronson Alcott, against a backdrop of growing tensions and transcendental idealism in 1860 America.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Films<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Charles Darwin: Famous people, incredible lives<\/em> (7-min. film<\/a>, 2010) by Film Ideas
“Darwin’s early life, education, marriage, and the development of his theory of evolution.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charles Darwin and the tree of life<\/em> (52-min. film<\/a>, 2009) by BBC Worldwide Learning
“Marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species<\/em>, this program shows how Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution and explores its ramifications in today\u2019s scientific community.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The origin of the species<\/em> (16-min. film<\/a>, 2013) by Cerebellum Corporation
“In this program, learn about Charles Darwin\u2019s book On the Origin of Species<\/em>, the theories of anthropologist Alfred Wallace, the theory of evolution, and fossils. Also discussed are Gregor Mendel and hereditary characteristics, genes, and chromosomes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life and evolution–Science vs. God?<\/em> (53-min. film<\/a>, 2014) by Abacus Media Rights Limited
“Champions of the view that Darwin has buried God clash with their theistic counterparts.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions? Chat<\/a> with us!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pictured above: “Darwin, c. 1854, when he was preparing On the Origin of Species for publication” On the Origin of Species Charles Darwin‘s seminal work, On the Origin of Species, was first published on November 24, 1859. It is “considered the founding document of modern evolutionary science” and “one of the most important books ever […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[506],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-resources"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18591"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19244,"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18591\/revisions\/19244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/librarywp.whatcom.edu\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}