The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication

by Charles Darwin

"The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication" by Charles Darwin is a two-volume work published in January 1868. Drawing on thirteen years of breeding experiments and extensive correspondence, Darwin presents detailed observations on domesticated species—from pigeons to plants. The book also introduces his controversial theory of heredity called pangenesis, which attempts to explain how traits pass from parents to offspring. Though Darwin himself felt "nauseated" rereading his own pages, this exhaustive study laid groundwork for understanding biological inheritance and represented years of painstaking labor beyond his famous Origin of Species.