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With an Introduction by Jeff Wallace. 'A grain in the balance will determine which individual shall live and which shall die...'. Darwin's theory of natural selection issued a profound challenge to orthodox thought and belief: no being or species has been specifically created; all are locked into a pitiless struggle for existence, with extinction looming for those not fitted for the task. Yet 'The Origin of Species' (1859) is also a humane and inspirational vision of ecological interrelatedness, revealing the complex mutual interdependencies between animal and plant life, climate and physical environment, and - by implication - within the human world. Written for the general reader, in a style which combines the rigour of science with the subtlety of literature, 'The Origin of Species' remains one of the founding documents of the modern age. AUTHOR: Charles Robert Darwin was born 12th February 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He was the fifth of six children of wealthy society doctor and financier Robert Darwin, and Susannah Darwin (née Wedgwood). He studied medicine and religion briefly and was introduced to the Reverend John Stevens Henslow, Professor of Botany, for expert advice on beetles, which Charles had taken to collecting competitively. Darwin quickly became Henslow's favourite pupil and was recommended by him as a suitable naturalist for the unpaid position of gentleman's companion to the captain of HMS Beagle. His travels on this ship are recorded by him in 'The Voyage of the Beagle'. Charles Darwin died on the 19th April 1882. In recognition of his pre-eminence, he was one of only five nineteenth century United Kingdom non-royal personages to be honoured by a state funeral, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.