# The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex - Paperback

[**Report copyright infringement**](https://reportcopyrightinfringement.com/)

by **Charles Darwin** (Author), **John Tyler Bonner** (Introduction by), **Robert M. May** (Introduction by)

In the current resurgence of interest in the biological basis of animal behavior and social organization, the ideas and questions pursued by Charles Darwin remain fresh and insightful. This is especially true of _The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex_, Darwin's second most important work. This edition is a facsimile reprint of the first printing of the first edition (1871), not previously available in paperback.

The work is divided into two parts. Part One marshals behavioral and morphological evidence to argue that humans evolved from other animals. Darwin shoes that human mental and emotional capacities, far from making human beings unique, are evidence of an animal origin and evolutionary development. Part Two is an extended discussion of the differences between the sexes of many species and how they arose as a result of selection. Here Darwin lays the foundation for much contemporary research by arguing that many characteristics of animals have evolved not in response to the selective pressures exerted by their physical and biological environment, but rather to confer an advantage in sexual competition. These two themes are drawn together in two final chapters on the role of sexual selection in humans.

In their Introduction, Professors Bonner and May discuss the place of _The Descent_ in its own time and relation to current work in biology and other disciplines.

### Author Biography

**John Tyler Bonner** and **Robert M. May** are Professors of Biology at Princeton University.

**Number of Pages:** 960

**Dimensions:** 1.97 x 8.01 x 5.44 IN

**Publication Date:** August 21, 1981

## Details

- **Price:** 80.37 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 80.37 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex - Paperback
- The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex - Paperback

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/the-descent-of-man-and-selection-in-relation-to-sex-paperback)
> Updated: 2026-07-21
