Wednesday, September 24, 2014

My Year of Darwin 9/24/2014: "Natural Selection" almost wasn't

 Charles Darwin

"I am, also, sorry about term "Natural Selection", but I hope to retain it with Explanation, somewhat as thus, - "Through Natural Selection or the preservation of favoured races"
  Why I like the term is that it is constantly used in all works on breeding, & I am surprised that it is not familiar to Murray; but I have so long studied such works, that I have ceased to be a competent judge." Charles Darwin, Letter to Charles Lyell, January 1859

Murray is the publisher of Origin but apparently objected to the use of "natural selection."  I wonder what alternative was suggested: I'm not sure if survival of the fittest was suggested to Darwin yet (by his cousin Herbert Spencer). I need a first edition to look over. 

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