HUXLEY, Thomas Henry.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Critiques and Addresses. First edition, presentation copy, inscribed on the half-title: "John Evans esq, from his friend T. H. Huxley". Huxley collaborated with Sir John Evans (1823-1908), the eminent archaeologist, in the administration of several learned societies in London, most notably the Royal Society. In 1873, Huxley was the society's biological secretary and would later serve as its president, while Evans, who was elected a fellow in 1864, would serve as its treasurer from 1878 to 1898. The two men were personal friends and corresponded on a wide range of subjects. Alongside his profession as a paper manufacturer, Evans is credited with pioneering a more scientific approach to British archaeology. Two years after Huxley's Critiques was published, Evans wrote a paper which applied Darwinian natural selection to the archaeological study of ancient British coins.The essays and addresses in this collection attest to Huxley's wide range of interests: education ("The School Boards: What they can do, and what they may do"); geology ("On the Formation of Coal"); and Darwinian evolution ("Palaeontology and the Doctrine of Evolution, Darwin's Critics"), among much else. Evans's attractive bookplate, depicting a variety of antiquities and bearing the motto "I desire to deserve", is on the front pastedown.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.