Editing On the Origin of Species (section)

===Literary style===
The ''Examiner'' review of 3 December 1859 commented, "Much of Mr. Darwin's volume is what ordinary readers would call 'tough reading;' that is, writing which to comprehend requires concentrated attention and some preparation for the task. All, however, is by no means of this description, and many parts of the book abound in information, easy to comprehend and both instructive and entertaining."<ref name=sec/><ref>{{Harvnb|Crawford|1859}}</ref>

While the book was readable enough to sell, its dryness ensured that it was seen as aimed at specialist scientists and could not be dismissed as mere journalism or imaginative fiction. Though Richard Owen did complain in the Quarterly Review that the style was too easy for a serious work of science.<ref>{{harvnb|Ruse|2009|p=18}}</ref> Unlike the still-popular ''Vestiges'', it avoided the narrative style of the historical novel and cosmological speculation, though the closing sentence clearly hinted at cosmic progression. Darwin had long been immersed in the literary forms and practices of specialist science, and made effective use of his skills in structuring arguments.<ref name=sec>{{harvnb|Secord|2000|pp=508–511}}</ref> [[David Quammen]] has described the book as written in everyday language for a wide audience, but noted that Darwin's literary style was uneven: in some places he used convoluted sentences that are difficult to read, while in other places his writing was beautiful. Quammen advised that later editions were weakened by Darwin making concessions and adding details to address his critics, and recommended the first edition.<ref>{{harvnb|Quammen|2006|pp=176–181}}</ref> James T. Costa said that because the book was an abstract produced in haste in response to Wallace's essay, it was more approachable than the big book on natural selection Darwin had been working on, which would have been encumbered by scholarly footnotes and much more technical detail. He added that some parts of ''Origin'' are dense, but other parts are almost lyrical, and the case studies and observations are presented in a narrative style unusual in serious scientific books, which broadened its audience.<ref>{{harvnb|Darwin|Costa|2009|p=ix}}</ref>