The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex

By 1871 Darwin was ready to say in public what On the Origin of Species had carefully stepped around. This book states plainly that human beings descend from earlier animal forms, and it gathers anatomy, embryology, and behaviour to make the case. The second half introduces the idea Darwin thought nearly as important as natural selection: sexual selection, the pressure of mate choice that he believed explains the peacock’s tail, the songs of birds, and much of the difference between men and women. Some of his conclusions about race and sex belong firmly to Victorian England and read badly now, though the central argument permanently changed how the species understands its own past. Free to download here as PDF and EPUB.