~ UNIQUE MANUSCRIPT OUTLINE WRITTEN BY THE CO-DISCOVER OF EVOLUTION THROUGH NATURAL SELECTION FOR AN UNPUBLISHED BOOK COMPARING HIS WORK WITH THAT OF CHARLES DARWIN'S ~

WALLACE (Alfred Russel, 1823-1913, British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist, best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural selection)

'Notes for the use of Mr. James Marchant as to his proposed book on the Life-Work of Darwin and Wallace', being the complete and unpublished autograph manuscript by Wallace giving Marchant his proposed structure and outline of the contents for the book, circa March 1913. 

Written neatly in black ink in Wallace's hand on the rectos of seven leaves of laid paper. the first page giving short title and authors' names, the second page inscribed 'Notes for the use of Mr. James Marchant as to his proposed Book on the Life-Work of Darwin and Wallace, by A.R.W.', the following five numbered pages giving the full title, 'Darwin and Wallace: A Study of their Literary and Scientific Writings with an Estimate of the Present Position of the Theory of Natural Selection as an adequate explanation of the Process of Organic Evolution', and Suggested Contents under eight chapter headings, 'Chapter I. A sketch of the mores salient conditions and events which led them, independently, to the idea of Natural Selection - (travel - Malthus - geographical distribution &c. &c.)', 'Chapter II. The diversities and similarities in their respective environments - social and educational - the diversities being much the more important. Environment was therefore not the determining factor in their coincident Life-Work.', 'Chapter III. Direct Heredity also unlike - Similarity of intellectual character must therefore have been due to chance intermingling of somewhat remote ancestral traits, leading to an almost identical result in their scientific discovery', Chapter IV to compare their literary work, Chapter V to be about Darwin's scientific work starting with the 'Origin of Species', ' and 'all the other works being extensions and applications of the theory, founded mainly on his own observation and experiment - personal experiment the preponderating factor', Chapter VI to be about the scientific works of Wallace, ' their chief characteristic being that they are the results of reasoning on the observations and experiments of other writers', Chapter VII to be 'General conclusions as to the character and life-work of the co-discovers of Natural Selection', and the final Chapter VIII to be about as Natural Selection stands today and who its chief upholders are in Europe and America, how other theories such as 'Mutationism and Mendelianism [are] totally inadequate', but also saying that 'Natural Selection does not claim to account for the first causes of life - or for the fundamental forces and powers of Growth and Reproduction', sheet sizes 19.5 x 16.5cm, together with a John Murray printed announcement card for the planned publication of the book in Spring 1915, giving the title as Wallace proposed above, and the authors as 'James Marchant, Assisted by Alfred Russel Wallace, O.M.', 9 x 11.5cm 

Good condition. Paper somewhat toned, especially around central folds and edges, and a few minor splits and tiny chips not affecting text, a couple with subtle repairs on verso. See gallery images.

A unique manuscript by the co-discoverer of the theory of evolution by natural selection, written in the year he died, and for a book that was never published. In these seven pages Wallace gives a succinct and lucid sketch for the genealogy of the theory of natural selection and a comparison of the lives and ideas of its two authors. The subjects of chapters 2 and 3 are of particular interest, Wallace noting how both Darwin and himself, with such different backgrounds, came to have almost identical ideas. Wallace significantly concludes that environment was therefore not the factor in their 'coincident life-work', and by suggesting that it 'may have been due to chance intermingling of somewhat remote ancestral traits', applied ideas of heredity and natural selection to their own scientifically-minded brains. James Marchant must have hoped to continue with the publication of the book in spite of Wallace's death as is shown by the John Murray announcement card. Subsequently, Marchant did publish the two-volume work, 'Alfred Russel Wallace: Letters and Reminiscences' (Cassell, 1916), and in the Introduction he refers to the proposed book and its non-publication: 'It may be stated here that Wallace had suggested to the present writer that he should undertake a new work, to be called "Darwin and Wallace", which was to have been a comparative study of the literary and scientific writings, with an estimate of the present position of the theory of Natural Selection and adequate explanation of the process of organic evolution. Wallace had promised to give as much assistance as possible in selecting the material without which the task on such a scale would obviously have been impossible. Alas! soon after the agreement with the publishers was signed and in the very month that the plan of the work was to have been shown to Wallace, his hand was unexpectedly stilled in death; and the book remains unwritten. But as the names of Darwin and Wallace are inseparable even by the scythe of time, a slight attempt is here made, in the first sections of Part I. and Part II., to take note of their ancestry and the diversities and similarities in their respective characters and environments - social and educational; to mark the chief characteristics of their literary works and the more salient conditions and events which led them, independently, to the idea of Natural Selection. Finally, it may be remarked that up to the present time the unique work and position of Wallace have not been fully disclosed owing to his great modesty and to the fact that he outlived all his contemporaries'.

Provenance: Full details upon request from serious bidders.

This manuscript, which is fresh to the market as of this week, has recently had national press coverage, such is its importance.

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A NOTE ON COPYRIGHT: The textual contents of this manuscript are under strict copyright to the Wallace Literary Trust, and cannot be reproduced in any form without consent of the trustees. Scans of the document are provided in the listing solely to show the condition and subject matter of the original. Rights for reproduction of the text or scans are neither given nor implied to anyone. You are buying the original document, not the copyright.