LONDON (AP) — An auction house says it is selling a rare first edition of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” found in a family’s guest lavatory in southern England.
Christie’s auction house said Sunday the book – one of around 1,250 copies first printed in 1859 – had been on a toilet bookshelf at a family’s home in Oxford.
The book will be auctioned on Tuesday – the 150th anniversary of the publication of the famous work. Christie’s said the book is likely to sell for 60,000 pounds ($99,000).
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Darwin’s “The Origin of Species” outlined his theory of natural selection – the foundation for the modern understanding of evolution.
Celebrations around the world this year have marked the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth.
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On the Net:
Darwin’s Collected Works: http://darwin-online.org.uk/
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