Book Description
Charles Darwin’s foremost biographer, Janet Browne, delivers a vivid and accessible introduction to the book that permanently altered our understanding of what it is to be human. A sensation on its publication in 1859, The Origin of the Species profoundly shocked Victorian readers by calling into question the belief in a Creator with its description of evolution through natural selection. And Darwin’s seminal work is nearly as controversial today. In her illuminating study, Browne delves into the long genesis of Darwin’s theories, from his readings as a university student and his five-year voyage on the Beagle, to his debates with contemporaries and experiments in his garden. She explores the shock to Darwin when he read of competing scientist’s similar discoveries and the wide and immediate impact of Darwin’s theories on the world. As one of the launch titles in Atlantic Monthly Press’ “Books That Changed the World” series, Browne’s history takes readers inside The Origin of the Species and shows why it can fairly claim to be the greatest science book ever published.
Customer Reviews:
You can ask for little more in so little space.......2007-09-09
Simple me, I enjoyed the book tremendously. I was impressed by the author's ability to cover so much territory in so little space (the book is, in the end, a biography of both Darwin and Darwinism). Even condensed, it reads well. The last chapter, on the fate of Darwinism after his death, did seem a little rushed, but it was all so new to me that I was happy to have it, rather than nothing at all. This is, after all, an introductory book, and after you have read it, you can look elsewhere for something more substantial. You should judge a book by what it sets out to do, not by what you would do if you were the author.
Adequate.......2007-06-07
This short book is devoted to exploring Darwin's Origin of Species. Browne provides concise summaries of the background to the Origin, Darwin's life, the circumstances under which it was published, and its reception. Overall, these parts of the book are solid and essentially glosses of Browne's outstanding 2 volume biography of Darwin. The final part of the book is a brief tour of the subsequent history of Darwinian ideas from the late 19th century to the present. This is simply too much stuff in too brief a format and is superficial.
Readers interested in a better exploration of this topic would do well to read Browne's biography of Darwin. This is a thick book but very well written and is simply superb as an introduction to Darwin and the relevant 19th century history. Another complementary and excellent book is Ruse's The Darwinian Revolution.
This author knows the subject too well to explain it.......2007-05-22
This book was very disappointing to me, in that it failed to accomplish its main task. It's supposed to help us see how The Origin of Species changed the world, right? To do that it would have to make us see what the belief system was that Darwin's book upset. What did intelligent, educated people believe about animal and other species before Darwin came along? Why was his thesis so shocking? I am sure Janet Browne herself understands this thoroughly, but she makes the Number One mistake of bad pedagogues, which is to fail to imagine what her readers know and don't know - to fail to see the subject from her readers' point of view. We all live in a world steeped in the idea that species evolved over vast spans of time, through random variations, into the ones we know today, which are still evolving. Before Darwin, however, a different dogma was in the air, and I could not grasp from Browne's text what it was.
She should have devoted a whole chapter to putting us back into that mind-set, so we could then appreciate the shock of Darwin's theory.
Book Description
Charles Darwin remains the subject of continuing energetic debate in the fields of philosophy, history of science, biology and history of ideas. This volume offers a collection of newly commissioned essays from experts in their fields, and will provide a student readership with an accessible guide through Darwin's thought.
Download Description
The naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin (1809-82) ranks as one of the most influential scientific thinkers of all time. In the nineteenth century his ideas about the history and diversity of life - including the evolutionary origin of humankind - contributed to major changes in the sciences, philosophy, social thought and religious belief. This volume provides the reader with clear, lively and balanced introductions to the most recent scholarship on Darwin and his intellectual legacies. A distinguished team of contributors examines Darwin's main scientific ideas and their development; Darwin's science in the context of its times; the influence of Darwinian thought in recent philosophical, social and religious debate; and the importance of Darwinian thought for the future of naturalist philosophy. New readers will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Darwin currently available. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Darwin.
Customer Reviews:
A must for your definitive collection of CD.......2007-10-01
If you're studying or researching Charles Darwin (CD), this is a must. It's enjoyable for all who ponder in these most crucial days. It also sheds light on aspects of CD's life that you can't get other places.
Amazon.com
Here is a fascinating, detailed look at the life of Charles Darwin: naturalist, geologist, and independent thinker. In his author's note, Caldecott Honor illustrator Peter Sis (Starry Messenger, Tibet: Through the Red Box) writes that Darwin always regretted not learning how to draw. However, he could and did take "dense and vivid" written notes, from which Sis drew his inspiration. Readers will spend hours poring over the gorgeous, intricately crafted pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations depicting layer upon layer of Darwin's life as he developed his theories about the origins of life and natural selection. Tidbits from Darwin's extensive and legendary voyage on the Beagle, notes on Galapagos tortoises, bloodsucking benchuca bugs, and Toxodon skeletons, and particulars from his family life intermingle with each other--just as in real life. Crammed with a veritable muddle of diary entries, cameo portraits, diagrams, natural illustrations, maps, timelines, a gatefold spread, and narrative divided into "Public Life," "Private Life," and "Secret Life" blocks of text, The Tree of Life will certainly be overwhelming to some readers; for other, less linear thinkers, it will be sheer, chaotic delight. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
In this brilliant presentation of a revolutionary thinker's life, the picture book becomes an art form
As far as I can judge, I am not apt to follow blindly the lead of other men . . .
Charles Darwin was, above all else, an independent thinker who continues even now to influence the way we look at the natural world. His endless curiosity and passion for detail resulted in a wealth of notebooks, diaries, correspondence, and published writings that Peter Sís transforms into a visual treasure trove. A multilayered journey through Darwin’s world, The Tree of Life begins with his childhood and traces the arc of his life through university and career, following him around the globe on the voyage of the Beagle, and home to a quiet but momentous life devoted to science and family. Sís uses his own singular vision to create a gloriously detailed panorama of a genius’s trajectory through investigating and understanding the mysteries of nature. In pictures executed in fine pen and ink and lush watercolors – cameo portraits, illustrated pages of diary, cutaway views of the Beagle, as well as charts, maps, and a gatefold spread – Peter Sís has shaped a wondrous introduction to Charles Darwin.
Customer Reviews:
It's seldom noted, but..........2007-08-29
You know the REALLY funny thing about Darwin?
His own children didn't even survive him.
Which made him a failure in the sense he gave his name to.
The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin.......2007-03-16
Though I liked the book very much and enjoyed reading all of the facts about Charles Darwin, I think that the format was BUSY. All over each page there were illustrations and little facts of interest. I wanted to read them all... and did! But, I prefer a more straight forward format.
beautiful book.......2005-10-12
This is a beautiful book! It gives you a vivid picture of Charles Darwin's life. Very enjoyable -- my son and I both got to know Darwin well from this book! I'm inspired to read all those books Darwin wrote.
A Gem.......2004-08-01
This is a wonderful book. Great illustrations with much detail about Darwin's life (all of it, family, career, adventures) including "pages" from his diary. I bought it for my son who really liked it. We read it together the first time, then he explored it on his own. He used it for a 4th grade school project and got an A. I enjoyed it, too.
To life!.......2004-05-28
If you are at all familiar with Peter Sis, then you linger under the incorrect impression that you know what to expect from him. Carefully researched subjects. Illustrations containing infinitesimally small people, places, and things. Engaging and entertaining plots. I tell you now, ladies and gents, "Tree of Life" takes all of this and multiplies it. Quadruples it. You have never seen a picture book like this before. When you are dealing with a book that cares to discuss the origins of life itself, you need an author/illustrator comfortable with details. In this, Sis is your man.
This is a summarization and encapsulation of the life of Mr. Charles Robert Darwin. The book begins like so:
"Charles Darwin opens his eyes for the first time! He has no idea that he will (a) start a revolution when he grows up, (b) sail around the world on a five-year voyage, (c) spend many years studying nature, and (d) write a book that will change the world".
From here on in we watch Darwin learn and grow. The text is separated, initially, into two parts. One portion is in bold and discusses the facts of Darwin's life. An italicized portion below this talks about Charles's passions and desires. Up above we see little images and factoids strewn about the page willy-nilly, giving us a better sense of the times and people involved in the naturalist's life. This form and style goes out the window when Darwin joins up with the Beagle. Suddenly the pages become drawings of creatures and sights. There is a magnificent two-page spread of boxes, each one carrying an interesting fact, animal, moment, or image that Darwin encountered. It's as if his very experiences have been cataloged for the reader's viewing pleasure. Eventually Darwin returns and as he does so the pages themselves return to the previous layout. Now, however, Darwin's life has been divided into three different parts. He has a public life, a private life, and a secret (read evolutionary) life. Every individual life is outlined on each page and as we read on we understand how a single person's dreams can be affected by their personal and private triumphs and catastrophies. When, "On the Origin of the Species" is published we find a full pull-out four page spread encompassing the enormity of this publication. Images on the pages become less straightforward and more dreamlike. At long last, accompanying a vision of a solitary Magritte-like Darwin surrounded by a clan of death's head hawk moths are the words, "Charles Darwin died on April 19, 1882, and was buried in Westminster Abbey".
According to the book's author/illustrator, Darwin was, himself, unable to draw. So rather than sketch the wonders he saw while on the Beagle, the naturalist would describe his visions with great detail. In this way, Sis has become Darwin's right hand. It is impossible to flip through this book and not be amazed at the intricacy of the project. Sis is almost a pointillist at times, his Seurat-like dots forming everything from the galleys of a ship to thousands of tiny houses in London. A child reading this book could pore over a single page for hours, interpreting and reinterpreting each digression and off-hand comment. Honestly, you've never seen a book like this one before. The image that stands out most prominently in my mind is that of Darwin astride a giant rock dove that is made up of a thousand domesticated descendents.
Which brings us to the idea of a children's book concerned with evolution in the first place. "The Tree of Life" is hardly alone in this respect. For example, the ambitious "Our Family Tree" by Lisa Westberg Peters is far more direct in voicing the facts of evolution than this book in many respects. Here, Sis seems to avoid controversy as much as possible. The spread that describes every chapter and thought that went into the making of "On the Origin of the Species" is accompanied by the caveat, "Darwin did not say that God had not created life on earth. What he said was that creation did not happen all at once". Take that. Some time is spent examining the Bishop Samuel Wilberforce's objections and the Great Oxford Debate of 1860, but it is given far less time or energy than the book's page on, say, the Galapagos Islands. I would have liked some explanations on why some people didn't (and still do not) like Darwin's theories. Even a cursory explanation of the opposition wouldn't have been inappropriate considering the subject matter. Alas, here Sis is lacking.
All this notwithstanding, this is a fine piece of kiddie lit. If you remain unconvinced and require just a little more information about this book's fine nature, I merely direct you to the endpapers. In most picture books, the endpapers in the front of the book match and duplicate the endpapers at the back. Yet even here, Sis has not skimped. From the evolving feet of horses to the hand of Michaelangelo's God reaching towards Adam's, these pages are all individual and unique, making them just as important as any other portion of the book. I shudder to think what will happen to them when this book comes out in paperback. Though some will argue that this book is too advanced for children, challenge this statement. Test it for yourself. Any child that likes detail, precision, and nature will at least enjoy portions of this book. In a word - fabulous.
Book Description
Darwin and Evolution for Kids
Customer Reviews:
Religious dogma-for kids!.......2007-08-03
Hey everyone. Check this out. A book for kids about Charles Darwin and evolution. I can picture it now. Mommy atheist and daddy atheist snuggled up together before a roaring fire reading this book.
Daddy: Charles Darwin was a smart man. He found out that monkey's made people instead of God. Nobody knew this before he came around.
This is like, "Babies first evolution book." With a fun activity book. Draw a monkey and then draw some apes and then draw a monkey-man. See it's fun and educational. Now people are free to believe whatever hocus pocus they want to. But when you try to pass it off as science and teach it to children, in public schools even, you've got problems.
Now I think Darwin's writings should be required reading for all adults. Then they can read it and see how silly it all is. But kids, they believe anything you tell them. It's funny to think about the kind of family that would read this book with their kids. No doubt they have the Discovery channel on all day and night. Pictures of the evolution chart, Darwin, Nietzche, and all kinds of ape postcards all over the walls.
On the first day of school, the parents send their child off with this warning: Honey, they are going to try to get you to say the pledge of allegiance. Make sure you stay seated and not say it. It mentions God, that evil guy we told you about that tried to kill Darwin. It also is in support of America, this evil country we live in. America was founded by Christians as a command center to attack apes everywhere.
Favorite movies: Planet of the Apes, MVP: Most vertical primate, DaVinci code, and pretty much anything with monkeys or anti-God rhetoric. In short this was a very funny book but your kids are going to be messed up if you let them read it.
Darwin - the world explained - outstandig SCIENCE.......2007-05-14
This is an outstanding book for children, and adults as well. This wonderfully laid out science book, succinctly addresses the "when, where, why, and how" life on this planet began. By encouraging readers to define the difference between theories and beliefs, facts and opinions, "Darwin and Evolution for Kids" addresses religiously inspired debates with fact and eloquently and tells the story of evolution.
The absolute best book on evolution for kids or adults.......2007-05-04
I was absolutely floored by how good this book was as both a biography and also an introduction to the basic arguments, counterarguments, challenges, and triumphs of the theory of evolution. Every major objection is touched on: half a wing, the divine watchmaker, the "lack" of transitional forms, "blending" of mutations back into the wild type. The book even covers the Scopes trial, the modern synthesis, and the issue of Social Darwinism. And the story of Darwin himself is compellingly and fairly told. The theory itself is explained in straightforward terms that are easily understood, and the objections are dealt with intellgently and rationally.
Bravo, Kristan Lawson. This book is a tour de force of clear explanation and fascinating character study.
A fantastic read (and I'm 44 years old!).......2006-07-02
I confess that at the age of 44 I read and was spellbound by Kristan Lawson's book. My wife a museum educator came home with this book. She said, "Look at this book I ordered; what do you think?"
I'm have a minor in biology, so was familiar with Darwin and his theories, but never read anything by him or knew in detail anything about his life. I started flipping through the book and was instantly hooked. I read it in two sittings and must say it is well written entertaining and filled in many gaps in my knowledge of Darwin, his life, and the impact he had on the world.
Some things which intrigued me:
1. He was a miserable student in college
2. He wrote many books on many subjects
3. He spent 8 years studying and writing about barnacles!
4. He wrote the first book on carnivorous plants.
5. His last and most popular book was on the lowly earthworm, which European gardeners snapped up!
6. Finally, he was a very shy and timid man who hated publicity and would not debate his ideas in public.
This is a great read for anyone who knows a little about Darwin, but does not have a complete picture of who he was. A pure pleasure of a read!
Interesting and Understandable.......2005-12-30
I found this book at the Darwin Exhibit at the American Natural History Museum in New York. It really tells three stories: the life of Charles Darwin, the state of science in his lifetime and all the scientists who were formulating supporting evidence, and the theory of evolution. It treats the subject of religion respectfully, but makes clear the difference between religious faith and science theory. I plan to give it to our elementary and middle school libraries. Every library should have one.
Book Description
As a young boy, Charles Darwin hated school and was often scolded for conducting "useless" experiments. Yet his passion for the natural world was so strong that he suffered through terrible seasickness during his five-year voyage aboard The Beagle. Darwin collected new creatures from the coasts of Africa, South America, and the Galapagos Islands, and expanded his groundbreaking ideas that would change people's understanding of the natural world. About 100 illustrations and a clear, exciting text will make Darwin and his theory of evolution an exciting discovery for every young reader.
Book Description
In 1858, Charles Darwin was forty-nine years old, a gentleman scientist living quietly at Down House in the Kent countryside. He was not yet a focus of debate; his "big book on species" still lay on his desk as a manuscript. For more than twenty years he had been accumulating material for it, puzzling over the questions that it raised, trying to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion, and wanting to be certain that his startling theory of evolution was correct.
It is at this point that the concluding volume of Janet Browne's magisterial biography opens. Beginning with the extraordinary events that finally forced the Origin of Species into print, we come to the years of fame and controversy. Here, Browne does dramatic justice to all aspects of the Darwinian revolution, from a fascinating examination of the Victorian publishing scene to a survey of the debates between scientists and churchmen over evolutionary theory. At the same time, she presents a wonderfully sympathetic and authoritative picture of Darwin himself.
Customer Reviews:
Sick and tired, but he carried on.......2007-01-30
This one is also great, get both of these wonderful books on Charles Darwin. The first one is slightly better than this one, as one expects from biographies. CD is settled down, mostly writing and promoting his beliefs. He is sick a lot, but carries on. There just got to be too much detail toward the end of this, for me. Otherwise the level of detail and tone was pitchperfect throughout. What an astounding, amazing effort these two books represent. A real gem.
Brilliant but flawed.......2006-03-10
This the second volume of Browne's Darwin biography has evoked high praise from a number of Amazon reviewers. It's praise well deserved. Her theme, the importance of Darwin's social position and his dedicated use of it to promote the uptake of his theories, makes a nice counterpoint to the path-breaking Desmond and Moore biography, whose theme was the `tormented evolutionist'. Not that Browne downplays the ghastly burden of Darwin's invalidity on his person and family: torment it assuredly was. Yet he persisted in his labors, which included extensive involvement with many helpers, and somehow managed to bring it all to fruition. What were the emotional springs of that endurance? Dedication to the glory of the Nation, or to Science, or to Mankind? No, the poetry of ideals is missing. Exaltation in his ever-increasing celebrity? Again No. While Darwin kept a detailed record of every review of the Origin and other publications, and took measures to promote them, fame was not his defining horizon. If it were, he probably would not have anguished, as he did, about the expected heat entropy termination of life on Earth some millions of years hence. Consistent with that gloom, his final publication was on worms, whose habitat, he well understood, he would soon join. Browne writes: `He was in the grip of a vision of time as powerful and as bleak as anything in Victorian culture'. The source of his endurance seems to have been his immersion in the routine of Downe House. The routine included his dependency on wife Emma and the kids, especially Henrietta and Francis. He kept a detailed account of household expenses and, in pinchpenny manner, insisted on avoidance of extravagance despite his wealth, which he more than doubled thanks to astute investments. Although he could have easily created a state-of-the-art research station at Downe, he persisted (against Francis' appeals) in the use of crude and meager equipment, much to the amazement of scientists who visited him. Yet greatness somehow arose from just this obsessive immersion in routine that stretched over four decades. Browne notes that his devoted friend Joseph Hooker exclaimed on receiving a photographic portrait that he `looked like Moses'. Sons William and Francis agreed. So have millions who've seen the expression of deep thoughtfulness in the numerous portraits of the frail, aging Darwin.
What was his illness? His death certificate specified angina pectoris syncope as the cause. Today an autopsy would probably confirm cardiac arrest. He had experienced heart pains periodically for years, although several physicians found no symptoms of heart disease. I was surprised that in her illuminating discussion of his illnesses Browne doesn't notice that Darwin's fatigue, which greatly reduced his mobility for about two decades, is consistent with heart failure. When we add the information that Darwin was a long-time smoker, confidence in that diagnosis increases. And the retching and flatulence? Browne mentions the proposal that these symptoms could be effects of Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which he might have contracted in Chile. Retching, skin rashes, and heart disease are symptoms of the disease in its chronic phase. This is an attractive diagnosis, since it achieves concordance of clinical signs from two causal pathways. Browne puts it aside because, it seems, she suspects an interaction between Darwin's stressed emotional life, his peculiar withdrawal into the Downe House refuge, and physical symptoms (pp. 235ff). Alas, she seems unacquainted with contemporary psychiatry, which would easily read her symptom list as indicative of the Avoidant Personality Disorder (`Grief and guilt surely played their part in his psyche. Fear, too, especially in the way his body would most often fail when he intended make a public appearance, suggesting some deep-seated dread of exposure. His customary reticence may have reflected a wish to avoid getting involved with other people's emotions-reticence and modesty could have been the polite face of dissociation, the spurning of closeness' p. 237). APD would link Darwin's strong avoidance pattern with his equally strong striving for approval, and pain on the occasion of disapproval of friends and strangers. It also incorporates his many self-deprecations and his anticipations, even from friends, that they might respond to a thought of his with extreme disapproval, eg, `crucifixion'.
I turn briefly to Browne's rendition of the Huxley-Wilberforce debate at the June 1860 BAAS meeting in Oxford. The debate is a paramount icon in the Darwin legend and a `defining moment in Victorian history' (p 115). The confrontation occurred on the last day of a conference that had been dominated by public and academic excitement about the Origin of Species. A large audience turned out expecting to hear Bishop Wilberforce `smash' Darwin's theory. They were not disappointed, for the Bishop, who was Bishop of Oxford and hence on home ground, did indeed criticize the theory on a number of points. The presiding officer, Darwin's former teacher Rev Henslow, called on Huxley to speak. He defended the logic and evidence of Darwin's theory, and finished with the damning declaration that if he had to choose between accepting an ape as his grandfather and a high dignitary who obfuscated science to defend prejudice, then he would prefer the ape grandfather. The Darwin legend interprets Huxley's retort as a one-line `proof' of the superiority of science to theology which also shifted the mixed feelings of the audience into emphatic support for Huxley and science. But did it happen? Did Wilberforce taunt Huxley about his ancestry and did Huxley respond as claimed? Did the audience convulse in laughter at the Bishop and treat Huxley as a hero, as he boasted? Doubts arise because the first report of this incident was an aside in a 1898 article, `A Grandmother's Tale', in Macmillan's Magazine-38 years after the event! The critical literature on this event has pretty well reduced it to wishful thinking of Darwin partisans, beginning with Huxley's imaginary self-congratulatory victory. Even if the facts were as claimed in The Grandmother's Tale, they would have no bearing on the substance of Wilberforce's criticisms, which he detailed in a lengthy review of Origin. As for Huxley, he had publicly expressed doubts about the compatibility of Darwin's theory with the long periods of stasis in the fossil record; and he never accepted natural selection as the main mechanism of evolution. Browne's narrative of this iconically central issue is unsatisfactory. She does not advise readers that serious criticism of the story has been made and her narrative incorporates Huxley's tale as fact. Yet she knows that the celebrated triumph is imaginary. Solution? `The gossip running through the crowd afterwards quickly crafted an epic narrative, a collective fiction with an inbuilt meaning much more tangible and important than reality. All felt they were witnessing history in the making' (pp. 124f). There you have creative history: gossip frankly declared to be better than reality. Smacks of postmodernism.
Truth Prevails.......2005-09-23
Darwin's tightly held theories on natural selection are let loose to a resistant public but a public that was also proud of their intellectuals. Darwin's network of scientific friends and associates provide strength to a highly disruptive theory and in so advance their own scientific careers.
An effortless and endlessly satisfying read.......2005-09-12
Along with the rest of the well-deserved high praise that comes to Janet Browne's biography of Charles Darwin I would add, with others, that its most extraordinary aspect is its readability. Biographies are almost always irritating in some way or another--Browne's volumes are effortless in any genre, miraculous in the difficult work of biography. It's quite true that both _Voyaging_ and _Power of Place_ are books you can't put down; they are so absorbing that you instantly forget you are reading. I find myself recommending them to people with no interest whatsoever in the subject simply for the reading pleasure. For scholars of the historical subject, the volumes provide a unified and inspiring reference. Browne's is a tremendous gift to Darwin's legacy and to the reception of his work.
Darwin the power of place by Janet Browne.......2005-05-26
This is one of the best biography books that I have ever read. It is factual and beautifully written
Book Description
Few lives of great men offer so much interest--and so many mysteries--as the life of Charles Darwin, the greatest figure of nineteenth-century science, whose ideas are still inspiring discoveries and controversies more than a hundred years after his death. Yet only now, with the publication of Voyaging, the first of two volumes that will constitute the definitive biography, do we have a truly vivid and comprehensive picture of Darwin as man and as scientist. Drawing upon much new material, supported by an unmatched acquaintance with both the intellectual setting and the voluminous sources, Janet Browne has at last been able to unravel the central enigma of Darwin's career: how did this amiable young gentleman, born into a prosperous provincial English family, grow into a thinker capable of challenging the most basic principles of religion and science? The dramatic story of Voyaging takes us from agonizing personal challenges to the exhilaration of discovery; we see a young, inquisitive Darwin gradually mature, shaping, refining, and finally setting forth the ideas that would at last fall upon the world like a thunderclap in The Origin of Species.
Customer Reviews:
Comprehensive and Easy to Read Darwin Bio........2007-05-13
I actually first checked this book out from my university's library and liked it so much that I went ahead and bought it for my personal library. Browne explores Darwin's life in the text in an extremely compelling and easily comprehendable manner. While I don't believe Charles Darwin: Voyaging is explicit and detailed enough to negate the need for true Darwin enthusiasts to discover Darwin for themselves through reading his autobiography, collected correspondence, and great scientific works (The Origins of Species, Descent of Man etc...) I do think the text accomplishes what it was meant to do--give those curious about Darwin's life and works the basic overview they need before pursuing the topic in more depth.
Biogeography.......2007-01-30
Exceptional book, if in doubt, buy it. I knew it would be great after reading so many positive reviews, for some years, and was not disappointed. Unlike some overly detailed biographies, every word seems worthwhile here, from that first glorious sentence to the last. Here is the great adventure story of all time, biology-wise. All I can do is add my two cents worth to what is said elsewhere, don't miss this one.
You must have it.......2005-08-16
Un libro estupendo. Erudito ,informado , ameno y riguroso.¿Que mas podemos pedirle a Janet Browne?
Darwin Voyaging by Janet Browne.......2005-05-26
This is one of the best biography books that I have ever read. It is factual and beautifully written
An Ambitious, Wide-Ranging, & Intelligent Work.......2005-04-03
"I am almost convinced (quite contrary to the opinion
I started with) that species are not (it is like confessing
a murder) immutable."--Charles Darwin, in a letter to
Joseph Dalton Hooker, January 1844
In 1859, The Origin of Species dropped like a bombshell
on the world. One of the most radical books of the 19th
century--its full title was On the Origin of the Species
by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of
Favored Races in the Struggle for Life--turned the society
of its day upside down.
"No other thinker," writes Janet Browne, "shook Victorian
England as deeply as Charles Darwin and the theory of
evolution by natural selection. His radical new theory of
nature undermined everything usually believed about
the human race."
In The Origin of Species, Darwin painted a dark picture
of nature red in tooth and claw, the struggle for existence
as a perpetual competition--species against species,
individual against individual--a dark cosmos of change,
alteration, flux, development, and transmutation.
In this dog-eat-dog world, he saw the evolution was
powered by the engine of natural selection--the survival
of the fittest
In Charles Darwin: Voyaging, Volume One of a projected
two-volume biography, Browne has launched an ambitious
work that is wide-ranging, intelligent, and impressive in
its scientific acumen.
The volume is a marvelous tribute to the life and thought
of Charles Darwin (1809-1882), one of the greatest figures
in the history of science.
Browne divides the 21 chapters of this 600-page tome
into three parts:
Part One, "Collector," tells of Darwin's birth in Shrewsbury,
Shropshire, England, a town nestled on the Severn River;
describes his education at Edinburgh University (where
the sight of blood convinced him not to be a medical
doctor) and at Cambridge University (where he studied
to be a country parson); and explains the "Cambridge
network" of professors, scholars, acquaintances, and friends.
Part Two, "Voyaging," chronicles the five-year journey of
the H.M.S. Beagle (Dec. 27, 1831, to Oct. 2, 1836), a
voyage that circumnavigated the world and changed
Darwin's life forever. Browne describes the fiery Capt.
Robert FitzRoy and the remarkable lands explored by
Darwin: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Chile, the Galapagos
Islands, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
Part Three, "Naturalist," tells of Darwin's marriage to
Emma Wedgwood and their children, of Darwin's becoming
a "man of property" with his purchase of Down house and
18 acres of land situated in Down village in Kent (now
Downe), about 15 or 16 miles from the center of London.
At Down house, Darwin labored for eight years on his
"beloved barnacles," seeking hard facts to bolster his
theory of "transmutation," and then proceeded to the
study of plants and pigeons.
Browne's work ends in 1856, three years before the
publication of The Origin, with Darwin poised to begin
writing his "big book on species," to which he gave the
working title, Natural Selection.
Rich in scientific content and impressive in its writing style,
Charles Darwin: Voyaging is the best biography I have
read in years. Put this book of your must-read list.
Customer Reviews:
The simplicity of genius.......2007-08-01
Listening to Charles Darwin talk about his life, from his earliest childhood experiences, proved to me, yet again, that really great people completely lack pomposity and artifice.
Darwin spends barely anytime talking about his great works, he really just sets the scene in which these works took place. And because that scene was so firmly Victorian with society tightly bound by religion and class, you also realise what a brave man he was in pursuing his scientific observations.
This is only a small book, the actual biography I read in a couple of days. This edition was edited by his grand-daughter and in the end notes some space is devoted to a row between Darwin and a Mr Butler - who you may well ask was Butler, its interesting to note how all these other characters fade into history's darkness, whilst the legacy of Darwin's work lives on.
A quick, informative, and inspiring read.......2007-04-12
This autobiography is a fun and easy-to-read journey through the events that made Darwin into a meticulous visionary. It serves as an excellent spark to make any person into a Darwin-enthusiast. Regardless of how you feel about his theory of evolution, Darwin's life experiences as described in this book can teach you to examine the world and everyday occurrences in a new and fascinating way.
Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of this account of Darwin's life was the value that Darwin himself placed, not on conventional means of gathering knowledge (he refers to many of his early university Professors and lectures as wastes of time), but on the people that he met and the questions raised by the world around him. Darwin's observant and inquisitive nature is expressed genuinely in this book and can inspire any reader to share in the sense of wonder that Darwin takes from the simple, everyday interactions with the natural world.
The Man Behind the Controversy.......2007-04-12
Given the amount of attention placed on Darwin's ideas for the last 150 years, it is an interesting new twist to examine the man himself. The aspects of Darwin's life on which he chooses to focus his self-description are, naturally, very revealing. He portrays himself as methodical and extremely devoted to his various passions, be they hunting, beetle-collecting, or writing. It seems that although Darwin was fairly social in his youth, his health precluded many visitors from calling on him later in life; perhaps this gave him time to complete his many works! This is an engaging and entertaining look at the man behind the books that impacted so much in the world of science.
Who would have guessed?.......2007-04-11
Very often, the name Charles Darwin conjures up images of a mythical figure responsible for the development of one of the most influential scientific theories. How often, however, do we think about the scientist's human side? The Autobiography of Charles Darwin is a fun read that lets you take a peak into his life and demystify the man behind the name. The human side emerges from anecdotes, whether from his childhood or young adulthood or after. Expectedly, Darwin confesses of a keen interest in beetles and collecting and describes the lengths to which he would go to study the insect (even putting a beetle in his mouth). However, who would have imagined that his friends would tease him for his careful bird record keeping and his lack of an ear for music? Who would have guessed that certain papers he published were a source of embarrassment? The autobiography reveals other, unexpected sides of Darwin. But as you read this book, do not expect to be exposed to Darwin's deepest thoughts and reflections. The tidbits of stories present in the autobiography definitely leave you wanting to know more.
Additionally, reading the autobiography serves as a source of inspiration. Darwin's lack of success in other aspects of life, such as with his attempts to be a doctor and a clergyman, contrasted with his great scientific success. With his matter of fact tone, Darwin admits that he did not do well in many academic subjects. However, he made up for the difference with long hours of work and perseverance. While we will never know if Darwin's intended for his autobiography to be inspirational, we can derive the personal take-home message of persevering and pursuing what truly interests you.
I highly recommend reading this autobiography as it gives you a glimpse into the human side of a great thinker.
A Revealing Work By One of the Most Influential Figures in Scientific History.......2007-04-11
I recommend this book for anyone wanting to acquire a better understanding of the mind and personality of the man who first came up with the famous theories of natural and sexual selection: Charles Darwin. As in any autobiography, this one offers unique insights into the thoughts and opinions of the writer that otherwise would likely not be known. For instance, Darwin's intimate and affectionate reflections on his family - his brother, his father, and his wife - are all very personal accounts, unlikely to be found in many other letters and notes written by Darwin. Darwin also writes at length on his candid opinions of several noted and famous colleagues, such as Charles Lyell and Thomas Huxley, each of which played a not so small part in the history of the theory of evolution. While he generally assumes a humble and congenial tone, he can at times be unsparing in his opinions on the faults of certain colleagues.
Where Charles Darwin's autobiography differs from many other autobiographies, however, is that Darwin did not originally intend to publish his autobiography for the mass public, but had meant it to be a sort of personal memoir by which his children and grandchildren could remember him. Thus, Darwin writing to a family audience, puts down his religious views at a time when writing them in public would have been far too controversial for Darwin's taste. This section in Darwin's autobiography, in my opinion, is the most valuable part of Darwin's work, as it gives a clear account of Darwin's view on a topic that even today is coming into conflict with his theories.
However, when Darwin's children decided to publish the autobiography, some parts, deemed too sensitive, such as his thoughts on religion, were taken out of the published version. The Nora Barlow edited edition is thus particularly good in that it is the only edition that offers the complete autobiography, including the passages with Darwin's religious views. Her footnotes and introduction also help the reader gain a better understanding into the historical and social context in which Darwin writes.
Overall, this book was a short read and captivating throughout.
Average customer rating:
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Darwin and His Flowers: The Key to Natural Selection
Mea Allan
Manufacturer: Taplinger Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Genetics
| Evolution
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Natural History
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0800821130 |
Book Description
Charles Darwin was a bumbling neophyte naturalist when he boarded the Beagle in 1831. Through the five years that followed, as the ship hugged the coastline of South America, Darwin found himself wading through waist-deep mud, climbing towerlike trees in the rain forest, and scaling craggy Patagonian cliffs as he closely observed the relationship between the wild creatures he stalked and the astonishing, utterly unfamiliar landscapes where he found them. At the end of these adventures, Darwin emerged a philosophical naturalist who could draw scientific truths from the simple stories contained in the creatures he encountered. What happened to Darwin? Thats the question Lyanda Lynn Haupt engagingly explores in a narrative that puts us inside the young Darwins shoesand brings us nose to nose with dung beetles, ostriches, and all forms of native wildlife. By focusing mostly on the birds Darwin observed, and by brilliantly mining his lesser-known writingsdiaries, correspondence, ornithological journals, unruly little pocket notebooksHaupt illuminates the process of discovery that shaped Darwins vision. Her book not only chronicles Darwins transformation from uncertain amateur to genius but reminds us how and why, in our own world as well as Darwins, attention to small things can make a big difference.
Customer Reviews:
The Meaning of the "Beagle".......2006-09-25
This is a tale of Darwin's becoming a true naturalist. Haupt believes that this happened sometime during the five years he spent with the survey ship Beagle, mostly ashore. Darwin was intent on absorbing and recording everything as the ship ranged up and down both sides of South America. He wanted to learn the geology, the fossils, the animals and the plants wherever he went. Occasionally, Darwin even looked up from his studies and described the human inhabitants.
By "true naturalist" Haupt means something more than a mere busybody, recording observations and collecting samples. She has used Darwin's notebooks of the Voyage (rather than his polished published account) to follow the changes in his attitudes from dutiful outside observer to a state that sometimes seemed to be a mind-meld with his subjects -- or really, by now, his fellow participants in life. Nothing was too small or ordinary to catch and hold Darwin's fascinated gaze. Perhaps, even as a young man still steeped in the traditional Chain of Being and the Christian doctrine of special creation, he tacitly believed that everything was important, everything held a clue to...what? Later, when he came to reflect philosophically on the Species Question, this great mass of detail, lightly and lovingly held, indeed served him well.
Haupt is an excellent writer and, herself a bird expert, uses Darwin's awakening to the birds of South America to locate his transformation to Naturalist. This is a book of natural history, biography, and philosophical observation that makes no pretense to be definitive. Our author is really using Darwin as an exemplar of a certain type that she admires: someone who loves Nature in all her messy particularity. As a result we get to read more about that endlessly charming man and about nature, and we get Haupt's interesting and often pointed reflections on it all. I was afraid, at the start, that my rather low level of natural history ability would hamper my understanding. Not so: anyone who cares about nature or is just curious about Darwin can enjoy this book.
Beautifully written.......2006-06-26
Both casual readers and high school to college level students of natural history and science will relish the beautifully written PILGRIM ON THE GREAT BIRD CONTINENT: THE IMPORTANCE OF EVERYTHING AND OTHER LESSONS FROM DARWIN'S LOST NOTEBOOKS. It's a different portrait which covers not just his works but the image of a naturalist who trusted his observations more than the political influences of his times or the research before him. Darwin was a bumbling amateur naturalist when he boarded the Beagle in 1831 to journey through the Galapagos. The young Darwin and his observations come to life in a survey rich with first-person reflections by the author, on her own wildlife observations.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Amazing...........2006-05-22
This is an amazing book. I am a biologist and a follower of Darwin, so I ordered this book right away when I saw it reviewed in the paper. Whether your interest is in Darwin or in science and nature more generally, this book is a stand-out. The author has a solid background in philosophy of science, but she's a creative nonfiction writer. Her prose and use of language are definitely a cut above the norm for these subjects. Haupt's focus on birds and her knowledge of ornithology will please any bird-lover. In addition to offering a unique, and endearing portrait of Darwin, this book is really about a way of seeing and understanding the human relationship to the natural world. It is a reminder, as Haupt says, that "we too are animals,connected to life, past and present...that nothing in the natural world is beneath our notice." A beautiful book that will give you fresh eyes.
Pleasant & enlightening.......2006-05-02
A short review of this book in the 4-8-06 issue of `Science News' prompted me to order it. I'm interested in the genesis of radical new ways of viewing our world to see how it might apply to my book's proto-theism concept.
Haupt, by studying Darwin's lesser known writings, surmises his growth as a rich-kid college drop-out from both medicine and the clergy in favor of dabbling with bugs. For an adventure, he signed on to the `Beagle' as the expedition's amateur naturalist for a two-year voyage which lasted nearly five-years. Haupt pictures him gradually finding his own style of observing, collecting and pondering as he gains confidence and learns to respect and love his subjects and nature. She focuses mostly on his birds perhaps more than necessary but that's her field. She debunks the legend that, toward the end of the voyage while in the Galapagos, Darwin's seminal insight flashed on him. Instead, it slowly dawned of him back in London with the help of a skilled taxonomist and in spite of his sloppy labeling of the Galapagos' specimens.
She also depicts the two decades after the voyage as he cautiously built his arguments for the "Origin of Species", then she goes on to describe his later years ensconced at Down House. Perhaps she does a little too much of her own philosophizing but I wasn't put-off by it. I'd give her book five stars except for the omission of an index (altho' Amazon's `Search inside the book' is an alternative). All in all, it's a pleasant and enlightening, well-made little book.
Another inspiring book from Haupt!.......2006-04-24
I greatly enjoyed Haupt's first book "Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds" and ordered this one not knowing much about it. It was wonderful too! Haupt's warm, lyrical prose is well matched to her topic, which is to mine Darwin's little-known pocket notebooks for new insights. She paints a compelling story of him circumnavigating South America as a humble and patient observer, though as she puts it, "This book is not in any way meant to pose as a biography; it is a gleaning of those instances in Darwin's life and work that inspire a renewed vision of the relationship between the human and natural worlds." So... what meaning does Darwin's vision hold for us today? Haupt reminds us that there are lessons in Darwin's story, and especially in his approach, to inspire all of us - even those of us who had never read anything about him before!
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