'There is grandeur in this view of life ... from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.' On the Origin of Species was first published to great controversy in 1859. With it Charles Darwin forever changed the way men and women thought about the natural world. In this seminal work of natural philosophy, he articulated his theory of natural selection, or survival of the fittest, that put him at the centre of a debate on evolution and the origins of mankind, the embers of which are still burning today. From the discoveries he made during his voyage on board H.M.S. Beagle, Darwin produced a scientific masterpiece.