The Geographical Distribution of Animals, with a Study of the Relations of Living and Extinct Faunas as Elucidating the Past Changes of the Earth's Surface. Vol. I-II

Description:

First edition. With the publication of the Geographical Distribution of Animals Wallace 'established evolutionary zoogeography on its modern foundation… [and] few, if any, subsequent works have been more important to the subject' (DSB).

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) was a notable English naturalist, evolutionist, geographer, anthropologist, social critic, and the co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of evolution and natural selection.

This landmark work by Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) naturalist, co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of evolution, and one of the foremost figures of 19th-century science, established the discipline of evolutionary zoogeography on a robust scientific basis. As noted by the Dictionary of Scientific Biography, few works have been as influential in shaping the study of animal distribution in relation to Earth's geological history. In these volumes, Wallace explores the distribution of living and extinct faunas, integrating data from paleontology, biogeography, and evolutionary biology to propose hypotheses on the past changes of Earth's surface.

A foundational work for naturalists and evolutionary biologists, The Geographical Distribution of Animals offers insight into the global distribution patterns of species, the effects of continental drift, and the historical connections between geographic regions and biodiversity.

Condition

2 vols, 8vo (230x150mm), orig. publisher's green cloth, gilt, teg. Some foxing to both volumes. One gathering untidily opened with small loss to bottom blank corner of two leaves. A very good set. Bookplate of Oliver H. Wild.