"In The Descent of Man , Darwin directly tackled the hot-button scientific issues of his time--humanity's bestial origins, the nature of morality, and the role of sex and beauty in shaping animals and humans. Costa and Yale provide a treasure trove of generous annotations, weaving together sharp analysis of biological ideas of Victorian England and today with insightful commentary on the intellectual and cultural world in which Darwin wrote. This beautiful book will serve as an invaluable guide to curious readers." --Erika Lorraine Milam, author of Creatures of Cain: The Hunt for Human Nature in Cold War America "At once scholarly and approachable, this invaluable resource operates at the beautiful intersection of the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Costa and Yale make Darwin's brilliant--and at times problematic--words leap off the page. I learned so much about Darwin the man, his rhetorical strategies, his contemporaries, and what we've learned in the century and a half since he wrote Descent . What a gift this book is." --Jeremy DeSilva, author of First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human "Costa and Yale have brought Darwin's The Descent of Man back to life with thoughtful historical annotations, insightful commentary, and modern scientific references.

This newly accessible volume will be indispensable to scholars and students alike and bring new audiences to this ever-relevant text." --Richard O. Prum, Yale University, author of The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World--and Us.