All viewers of this document can see this public note. This is the most explicit and concise description and definition of natural selection in On the Origin of Species. Darwin’s view here is ...

the book closely follows Darwin's original The Origin of Species. In fact, it begins with a facsimile of the title page and annotated contents of the first John Murray edition published in 1859.

Hooker helps Darwin hone his thinking about natural selection, but he is not shocked by its basic premise. Darwin can even later, as he sits down to write On the Origin of Species, half-jokingly ...