The centrality of Origin of Species in the rise of widespread evolutionary thinking has been has long been accepted by historians of science. However, some scholars have recently begun to challenge this idea. James A. Secord, in his study of the impact of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, argues that in some ways Vestiges had as much or more impact than Origin, at least into the 1880s. Focusing so much on Darwin and Origin, he argues, "obliterates decades of labor by teachers, theologians, technicians, printers, editors, and other researchers, whose work has made evolutionary debates so significant during the past two centuries." Secord 2000，第515–518頁 Secord, James A. Victorian Sensation: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation. University of Chicago Press. 2000. ISBN 0-226-74410-8.
