The Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-Utan, and the Bird of Paradise. A Narrative of Travel, with Studies of Man and Nature.

London: Macmillan, 1869. 2 volumes, octavo (187 x 125 mm). Half-titles, 2 frontispieces, 9 maps (2 folding), 6 plates, numerous illustrations, with 2pp. and 52pp. of publisher’s ads at end of vol. I, small previous owners stamp on both titles, Original green cloth, gilt orang-utans and birds of paradise to upper covers, gilt lettered spines.

First edition of ‘one of the nineteenth century’s best scientific travel books’ (Smith). ‘Wallace’s name is now inextricably linked with his travels in the Indonesian region. He spent nearly eight full years there; during that period, he undertook about seventy different expeditions resulting in a combined total of around 14,000 miles of travel … His collecting efforts produced the astonishing total of 125,660 specimens, including more than a thousand species new to science’ (Smith). During his travels, Wallace independently formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection. His letter to Darwin in 1858, outlining his ideas, hurried Darwin into publishing On the Origin of Species. Wallace dedicates the present work to Darwin ‘as a token of personal esteem and friendship [and] also to express my deep admiration for his genius and his works’.

Norman 2176; Smith S715