The alterations were then incorporated into the fourth English edition and all subsequent versions of the book, meaning they remain the definitive text of the seminal scientific work. According to the auction house, the annotated sheets are thought to have been in the possession of the translator, HG Bronn, when he died in 1862. They were subsequently bound, and entered the possession of Darwin’s correspondent, the German palaeontologist Melchior Neumayr. Scholars have known from Darwin’s correspondence that the annotations existed. Christie’s specialist Meg Ford said the revisions made to the text “reflect[ed] Darwin’s ongoing refinement of his scientific research and thinking”.

Source: The Guardian November 24, 2017 13:30 UTC