“Crushed under a mountain of facts” — New perspectives on Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man

Join evolutionary biologist and Darwin and Wallace scholar James Costa and historian of science Elizabeth Yale for an exploration of the origin and evolution of Charles Darwin's second most famous work, The Descent of Man. This event will be followed by a tour of the gardens Down House Head Gardener, Antony O’Rourke.

Inspired by insights from their new annotated edition of Descent (Princeton, 2026), Costa and Yale shed light on the cultural context in which Darwin developed his ideas on human evolution and sexual selection, how conversations with fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace shaped Descent in crucial ways, and how his ideas were received in the scientific and popular press. Spanning the boundaries of history and science, this first fully annotated edition of Descent illuminates the rich cultural and scientific contexts underpinning Darwin’s ideas and introduces his landmark book to a new generation of readers.

James T. Costa is director of the Highlands Biological Station and professor of biology at Western Carolina University. His books include Darwin's Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory and Wallace, Darwin, and the Origin of Species. Elizabeth E. Yale is associate professor in the Department of History and the Center for the Book at the University of Iowa. She is the author of Sociable Knowledge: Natural History and the Nation in Early Modern Britain.

These tickets do not include admission to Down House. If you would like to explore the site too and are not a member, please purchase admission here.