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A must for anyone who wants to read Darwin's work themselves, highly recommended
Some books hold their place in history as legendary for their impact on society. Charles Darwin authored many of these books. "The Descent of Man" is a re-publishing of his work, with abridging and introduction from Michael Ghiselin. A follow up on "On the Origin of Species", Darwin continues to discuss the roots of humanity, sharing ancestors with apes and other primates, a claim which has earned Darwin notoriety and praise alike. "The Descent of Man" is a must for anyone who wants to read Darwin's work themselves, highly recommended.

An Abridged Edition
The serious student of Darwin should be advised that the Dover version is an abridged edition.As a result, many passages have been removed.Thus, if you are looking for passages that may have been cited by other authors you may be disappointed.For the casual reader (can anyone be a casual reader of Darwin?) this edition may be just fine. ... Read more

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This title has fewer than 24 printed text pages. The Hated is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Frederik Pohl is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Frederik Pohl then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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First published in 1871 and considered his other great book alongside "The Origin of Species," Darwin's "The Descent of Man" is a work that continues the scientist's theories on evolution. Divided into three parts, this book's purpose, as given in the introduction, is to consider whether or not man is descended from a pre-existing form, his manner of development, and the value of the differences between human races. Darwin goes on to systematically explore the evolution of man in terms of physical and mental traits, to condemn the debate on whether humans of different races were of different species, to expound his theory of sexual selection, and to address natural selection and its effect on civilized society, establishing some of the founding ideas on eugenics and what has come to be known as Social Darwinism. Still of great interest and importance in scientific thought today, "The Descent of Man" is a foundational text on the science of human evolution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Caveat emptor
Take warning -- this is NOT a facsimile of the first edition (1871), but of an 1875 edition.A facsimile of the first edition is available from another publisher. ... Read more

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Describes the life and work of the renowned nineteenth-century biologist who transformed conventional Western thought with his theory of natural evolution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

VERY informative
This is the sort of picture book that's really better suited for the older grades. It's NOT well-suited as a read-aloud, and it's written on a "6.8" reading level... that's right, suited for the end of the 6th grade.

It offers an ample view of Darwin's life and research. I've put it away for now, though, as my nieces simply aren't old enough and there's no room on their shelves for books they aren't reading!

One Beetle Too Many:The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin
The information was nice.I only need to understand connection between "one beetle too many" and the story given in the book.

This adventurous and fun book makes the somewhat distant character, Charles Darwin, come alive for the reader!
There were a lot of interesting things in the house for Charles to
look at. It was not the kind of house where children were told things
like, "children must look, but not touch." Even his mother had
interesting things to look at, for she raised pigeons. One of his
favorite things to do was to collect beetles. He even learned the
names of them. Charles was learning many things, but not in school.
After his mother died, his father became exasperated with him. "You
. . . will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family "

When he was sixteen, he was sent off to college to learn medicine, but
he still didn't get the picture. His grades were lousy and he still
was interested in collecting things as he was a born naturalist, not a
student. Studying to be a doctor was definitely not in the cards so
his father sent him to the University of Cambridge to become a cleric.
And he was still interested in collecting things. Then one day a
letter came from a friend that would change his life forever. In 1831
he boarded the naval ship Beagle and would embark on a trip that would
change his life and would forever alter the way the world thought
about evolution.

This type of simple biography makes it easier for the reluctant
student to learn about a subject as the marvelous visual imagery can
be a great help. The book was adventurous and fun. It makes the
somewhat distant character, Charles Darwin, come alive for the reader.
Obviously this book is not for the creationist, but would make a
lovely addition to the home or classroom.

My son said...
After reading this to my children before bedtime, my son said after I finished the book, "Why was he so lazy!"Ha!It cracked me up.The message is a lot too contrived for me.The author was trying (stretching) really hard to make him seem more extraordinary than he was.Good entertainment and good discussion.

PICTURE BOOKS FOR OLDER BOYS
Kathryn Lasky tells the story of Charles Darwin and his quest to learn more about the natural world. We learn of Darwin's childhood and his father's concern over his nonconformity. Charles did not do well in school and preferred to be with the bugs rather than the books. As readers, we follow his life aboard The Beagle, home to England and end with the publication of The Origin of Species. Lasky's tellings of specific anecdotes, along with the humorous pictures by Matthew Trueman that accompany the text, create an interesting story for the reader. A child can easily empathize with only eating raisins or Darwin allowing his own children "the run of the house." This book is perfect for introducing Charles Darwin and his adventures to young readers and beyond. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I love DK, but this wasn't my favorite...
I have to admit, since this is a children's book I was hoping for a completely unbiased version of Darwin's theories especially since it comes from DK.However, I didn't get it.The biographical part was great, the pictures interesting, and the timeline helpful, but I thought religion was made out to be fool-hearty on occasion.Currently, at least, I think it would be difficult for religion not to agree with natural selection and evolution of species, i.e., pink rattlesnakes at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and brown ones elsewhere, but taking that theory of evolution the next step further to man evolving from organisms in the sea to become cousins of monkeys is a little more problematic.Many of us would prefer the second to be introduced as a valid theory from an intelligent man rather than an absolute truth.I didn't sense that opportunity for differences of opinion in this particular book.

Make that 4 1/2 stars
The only reason why I did not give this book (and the others in this
wonderful series) a complete 5 stars is because the proof reading was not
quite up to snuff.In this book I found at least one misspelled word,
and a couple of lines repeated.

However, the books in this series are packed full of information, have
wonderful pictures,& easy-to-read text while still being a genuinely
informative biography.

And all of this for only 4.99.I find the price truly amazing for all that you get.
... Read more

Product Description
More than a cookbook, the Mrs. Charles Darwin's Recipe Book delineates a lifestyle at the top of English society and intelligentsia at the time. This treasure trove that includes unlikely dishes such as Turnips Cresselly and Penally Pudding contains, even, another cook evident in the work: The recipe for boiling rice is in Charles Darwin's own hand. The image of Darwin standing over a pot of boiling water with his pocket watch in hand, is one to savor, along with every other vestige of a lost kitchen and lifestyle come back to life here. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Eating History

MRS. CHARLES DARWIN'S RECIPE BOOK
Revived and Illustrated

By Dusha Bateson and Weslie Janeway

A review by Marty Martindale

Emma Darwin was the wife of the eminent nineteenth-century English naturalist, Charles Darwin who gave us natural selection based on his evidence that all species evolved from common ancestors. His epic work, On the Origin of the Species, followed.

When Mrs. Darwin's husband was not aboard his work ship, the HMS Beagle, Mrs. Darwin saw to it he ate very well, so much so, she compiled a cookery notebook, sometimes referred to as her manuscript. It contained recipes with knowledgeable commentary, text and botanical drawings. Bateson and Janeway through the notes of Mrs. Darwin, describe the couple's comfortable Victorian lifestyle. The recipe book contains fifty-five selections most appropriate for this period in time.

Recipes from the collection were not highly spiced and mostcontained few ingredients. Some spicier accompaniments of the era were curry powder, mushroom ketchup, essence of anchovy, soy also Universal and Harvey's sauces. Though the Darwins were somewhat younger than Thomas Jefferson, the recipe simplicity along with the muted favorings were themes from both. Pudding desserts were highly favored by each in a time before ice cream. However, Jefferson was in a position to do something about bringing ice cream into reality.

The authors have started each recipe with helpful, sometimes historical, headnotes. In the appendix, you will be able to find copies of some of Emma's recipes as entered in her notebook.
Below is an overview of some of her recipes:

CHEESE STRAWS
Simply Parmesan cheese, flour, butter, cayenne pepper and milk

BAKED CHEESE CUSTARD
Butter, flour, milk, grated cheese, eggs and a little dry mustard, also grated nutmeg

SCOTCH WOODCOCK
White bread, butter, anchovy paste, heavy cream, egg yolks and cayenne pepper Emma Darwin wrote:"Chop some anchovy very fine; anchovy paste will do as well, spread it on buttered toast. Beat up the yolks of two eggs. Melt a little butter in good cream, thicken it with the yolks to the consistency of a good custard, and pour it over the toast which is cut in slices."

TURNIPS CRESSELLY
Young, white turnips, butter, heavy cream and cayenne pepper

BAKED APPLE PUDDING
Apples, sugar, lemon peep, butter, flour, milk and eggs
The entry from Emma Darwin's recipe notbook: From Emma'snotebook:"Peel the apples, take out the core, fill the holds with sugar and a little lemon peel chopped very fine. Put them into a dish in the oven and when nicely done, pour on them a nice batter not too thick. Bake in a steady oven for an hour."

BURNT RICE
Medium grain rice, milk or cream, butter, sugar and eggs

GINGER BISCUITS
Honey, brown sugar, butter, powdered ginger and flour

ITALIAN CREAM
Heavy cream, lemon juice, sugar and brancy

ORANGE POSSET
Orange, sugar, sweet wine, orange extract and cream

Emma's life spanned 88 years, and as was not uncommon in those days, her husband, Charles, was her cousin. Each were the grandchildren of Josiah Wedgewood, a famed pottery manufacturer. As to their married life, Bateson and Janeway found in Emma's letters where Charles Darwin had written of Emma, she was"as good as twice refined gold."

You can reach Marty Martindale at FOOD SITE OF THE DAY.

A Rare Glimpse Back In Time
I have read a great deal about Charles Darwin and his incredible mind.But, as they used to say, "behind every successful man" ... and here is Emma Darwin brought to life.She made the home life that allowed Charles to thrive ... to do his experiments, his writing and most importantly his thinking.He worked at home all his life and Emma was there overseeing the hearth and heart of the home.The way of life portrayed in this beautifully put together history and cookbook is fascinating to one who lives our 21st Century fast-paced life.The recipes are not complicated (modernized by the authors) and the glimpse into this particular home is well worth the trip.

Brilliant, gorgeous, AND Educational!
What a breath of fresh air!This is so much more than just a recipe book, the perfect combination of historical exploration, unpretentious and thoughtful writing, with gloriously photographed dishes to tempt the geneticist/scientist/explorer in all of us! Highly reccomended for both professionals and novice alike!

A welcome and unique addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections
Most cookbooks are simple compilations of recipes. But every once in a while one comes along that is so much more! Such is the case with the newly revised and illustrated edition of "Mrs. Charles Darwin's Recipe Book", a brilliantly presented compendium of recipes, culinary instructions and personal anecdotes about the every day life in the Charles Darwin household as recorded by his wife Emma Wedgwood Darwin. Culinary enthusiasts Dusha Bateson and Weslie Janeway have teamed up to recreate and test every one of the 55 recipes that Emma Darwin had recorded for her own use and for her posterity. Combining superb recipes with Victorian era commentaries on dining at the Darwin household, "Mrs. Charles Darwin's Recipe Book" offers a an series of dishes ranging from Fish Croquettes; Celery Sauce; Potato Rissoles; and Stewed Mushrooms; to Vegetable Soup; Nesselrode Pudding; Quince Jelly; and Scotch Cake. The beautifully rendered drawings of plants and the full color photography of finished dishes, as well as the occasional reproductions of Mrs. Darwin's handwritten entries, makes "Mrs. Charles Darwin's Recipe Book" a welcome and unique addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections.

Great book for history buffs and food connoisseurs
This wonderful account of history and recipe book is beautifully designed and has real recipe's right out of Emma Darwin's personal cookery notebook. I was able to learn about the Down House, where Charles and Emma Darwin lived. There are also pictures and illustrations of the Darwin's residences along with photographs of the delicious recipes. I have a sweet-tooth myself, and this book is filled with the most decadent and luxurious deserts ever! The deserts are great to make while entertaining. Overall, I give this book 5 stars! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A clever and entertaining look at Darwin on the Beagle
"Charles Darwin" documents the five year voyage that the English naturalist took aboard the HMS Beagle. The biological observations and discoveries of this five continent adventure inspire Darwin to formulate his most important scientific ideas. Author Alan Gibbons took a curious writing approach. The story is not told through an omniscient narrator, but by a fictional passenger. James Kincaid is an orphan who often accompanies Darwin on his mainland explorations. Thus "Charles Darwin" is a diary of the epic voyage that spanned from 1832 to 1836. This writing approach effectively personalizes the story for young readers. While there are ports of call to places like Tahiti, much of the book focuses on South America. The narrator's entries for the Galápagos Islands inspire the reader with the sense of wonder that good science fiction often gives about an exotic planet. Through the journey, the reader gets to know the book's namesake. We come to learn about Charles Darwin's motivations, beliefs and temperament. For example, at one point James overhears a heated slavery argument between Darwin (an abolitionist) and Captain FitzRoy, a slavery proponent. In addition to the scientific focus, the social studies are well integrated. Time is spent on the indigenous Fuegians who were taken to England by Captain FitzRoy. After adapting to Western ways, the remaining three were returned to Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America. While in Tahiti, the narrator writes about a meeting with Queen Pomare II. James the narrator is impressed with the way that the Queen's people are able to live in harmony with the natural environment. As with the line-crossing ceremony and threat of scurvy, the book shares a good amount of sea-faring culture. The book is actually so much more than a young reader's guide to Darwin's explorations and ideas. After the journey and the 'what happened next' section, there is an additional celebration of science with fourteen pages about extinct creatures, 19th century scientists, life at sea and a page about the Beagle.

Assimilating a large volume of information though a clever narrative device, "Charles Darwin" stands as an example of that which distinguishes the difference between good and great literature. While the writing style keeps the antiquated feel of 19th century English, it is accessible to today's young reader. There is character development in both James and Charles Darwin. By the end, Darwin gives up hunting and we find that the young man who thought about joining the church is now increasingly attracted to science. The illustrations are another asset to "Charles Darwin." Leo Brown's attractive paintings visually depict the experience. Occasionally, the layout features photographs of actual specimens from the voyage. The illustrations often interact in clever ways with Gibbons' text. The end paper graphically shows a map of the trip. The blue butterfly contained within the cover makes a dramatic impression. Along these lines, the large book and sturdy pages follow in the footsteps of books such as "Egyptology" and "Oceanology." Unlike the Ologies, there is no fluff here. Containing a table of contents, glossary and index, this is a well-done exploration of the Beagle's second voyage. In 2008, the Church of England issued an article saying that the bicentenary of Darwin's birth was a fitting time to apologize to the scientist 'for misunderstanding you and, by getting our first reaction wrong, encouraging others to misunderstand you still.' This spirit of rediscovery can begin with the next generation thanks to Alan Gibbons' "Charles Darwin." ... Read more

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The Pickering Masters Darwin makes it possible for the fist time to review Darwin's public literary output as a whole. Darwin's works are now presented in their definitive texts, typeset, printed and bound to modern standards. It is important to see Darwin's literary output as a whole to understand fully both his influence on the religious, philosophical and scientific upheavals of the 19th century, and the development of the theory of evolution which forms a continuous thread running through his work from first to last. Texts have been selected by Professor Barrett and Richard Freeman and where more than one edition of a work exists, the editors have chosen the edition which reflects Darwin's ideas most fully. ... Read more

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This novel about Emma Wedgewood, wife of Charles Darwin, centers around her hallucinative mind. Her grief at the death of their child Annie is given a bizarre twist by some ergot mold on the bread she uses for her pudding; her world becomes the twentieth century. Burch presents her husband’s sympathetic letters which contain fragments from Darwin’s Expression of the Emotions In Man and Animals and contributions from other characters such as the social worker and Emma’s unusual later offspring, Ralph Waldo Business Administration. Claire Burch, whose abilities with fiction are complemented by her previous research and publications in psychiatry, experiments with narrative voice by apparently doing away with it. This technique is striking, like overhearing a conversation of strangers in the dark. Are these the imaginings of Charles Darwin’s wife, or is she someone who thinks she’s Darwin’s wife? She lives in our time or does she just think she lives in our time?!The reports of Emma’s caseworker place the wife among us struggling with her schizophrenia, her kids and her ex who won’t fork over past due child support payments. Contemporary slang jolts the reader in its juxtaposition to Darwinian ideas. Hundreds ofline drawings by the author continue the mystery. The unexpected is well presented here. -Michael Healy ... Read more

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Charles Robert Darwin (1809–1882) has been widely recognized since his own time as one of the most influential writers in the history of Western thought. His books were widely read by specialists and the general public, and his influence had been extended by almost continuous public debate over the past 150 years. New York University Press's new paperback edition makes it possible to review Darwin's public literary output as a whole, plus his scientific journal articles, his private notebooks, and his correspondence.

This is complete edition contains all of Darwin's published books, featuring definitive texts recording original pagination with Darwin's indexes retained. The set also features a general introduction and index, and introductions to each volume.

Customer Reviews (1)

Some things you've gotta know...
1. As I write, the complete works of Charles Darwin are available online for free.For instance, you can view this book's content, including all of its images, and the original page numbers, at John van Wyhe's britishlibrary website.This online version includes an excellent indexing and search facility that contains more information than the book's actual index.

2. This book describes Darwin's studies of how carnivorous plants catch, ingest and digest flies.The experiments are historically significant... and amusing, if only for the interesting forms of gunk used by Darwin to study the plants.Of the 18 chapters, the first 11 deal with one specific variety of sundew, Drosera rotundifolia.The twelfth chapter covers other varieties of sundew.The thirteenth and fourteenth chapters are on the Dionaea Muscipula (Venus fly-trap) and Aldrovanda vesiculosa (an aquatic trap).The fifteenth describes the Drosophyllum lusitanicum (Portuguese sundew), the Roridula dentata, and the Byblis.Chapter 16 covers Butterworts (Pinguicula), while the final two chapters examine Bladderworts (Utricularia).

3. If you are interested in Darwin history: In "Insectivorous Plants," we see Darwin the experimentalist, with his old friends, colleagues and family, uniting in 1874 to catalogue and understand insectivorous plants.Included in the studies are long-time Darwin associates Hooker and Thistelton-Dyer from Kew, Sanderson (experimenting with plant digestion) at University College London, Asa Gray at Harvard, and Darwin's sons.There was some correspondence with Lyell, on this topic, but Lyell's friendship with Darwin had soured, and Lyell died while Darwin worked on this book. This book initially sold more rapidly than The Origin of the Species.Francis "Frank" Darwin met and married Amy Ruck, his first wife during this time.George Romanes, who had studied with Frank at Cambridge, joined the family at this time, and may have had an influence on the book. Darwin also corresponded about such scientific greats as FC Donders.And so Insectivorous Plants will be interesting to those who are familiar with Darwin's life and times. If you want to read Darwin's correspondence during this time, see "The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin" (F. Darwin, 1905, also available online). Chapter 13 covers insectivorous plants. As the book went to press, Darwin wrote Hooker:"You ask about my book, and all that I can say is that I am ready to commit suicide; I thought it was decently written, but find so much wants rewriting, that it will not be ready to go to printers for two months, and will then make a confoundedly big book. Murray will say that it is no use publishing in the middle of summer, so I do not know what will be the upshot; but I begin to think that every one who publishes a book is a fool."

4. If you are interested in evolution, and the the evolution of insectivorous plants:There isn't much if any discussion of evolution in this book.If I'm not mistaken, Darwin took something of a break from evolutionary theory and natural selection when he wrote this book.As far as I know, Darwin didn't spend much time speculating about the evolution of these plants.Apparently, there isn't much of a fossil record of carnivorous plants.As tests of genetic similarity have improved, there has been new speculation about the evolution of carnivores.Some sources:A) Juniper, B. E., Robins, Richard J. and Joel, D. M. (1989). The Carnivorous Plants. London; San Diego, Academic Press.B) Cook, Steve R. (2001). ?When plants kill.? Accessed online: October 10, 2001.(find online) C) Cameron, Kenneth M., Wurdack, Kenneth J. and Jobson, Richard W. (2002). Molecular evidence for the common origin of snap-traps among carnivorous plants. American Journal of Botany. 89(9): 1503-1509. (find online). Barry Rice's new book is due out any day, and I feel confident that it will examine this issue clearly.

5. If you are interested in learning more about carnivorous plants, take a look at the list of sources I'll post under Listmania.I feel confident that the new book by Barry Rice will be an excellent source.There are excellent books to consider that have been authored by Gordon Cheers, Peter D'Amato, Rica Erickson, Barry Juniper et al., Patricia Kite, Francis Lloyd (1940's), Allen Lowrie, Charles Nelson, James & Patricia Pietropaulo, Nick Romanowski, Donald Schnell, Adrian Slack, Dorothy Souza, and others.The new book by Rice is probably the most important new book since Schnell (2002) and D'Amato (1998), both highly recommended. Much depends on your interests and level of knowledge.So stay tuned for my list! ... Read more

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A disappointing last page!
A brief, but well-structured look at the early influences and dispositions of the "father of modern biology" -- not as good as the author's "Before Darwin: Reconciling God and Nature."Thomson does acknowledge the more comprehensive, and "superb" (his word) Darwin biographies (by Browne and by Desmond and Moore), and states that his intention in the present volume is "to inquire into the range of influences and ideas, the mentors and the rivals, and the formal and informal education that shaped Darwin's thoughts .... What special qualities of mind, what unique experiences, and what intellectual debts" Darwin brought to the development of his ideas on evolution.As I came to the last page, however, I was incredulous that the book ended with the following slip of the pen (where was his editor?):"Darwin ... was buried in Britain's pantheon, St. Paul's Cathedral." St. Paul's??No, no, no! ... Read more

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Very definitive, very concise, and very interesting...
From William Shakespeare to Winston Churchill, the Very Interesting People series provides authoritative bite-sized biographies of Britain's most fascinating historical figures--people whose influence and importance have stood the test of time.
Each book in the series is based upon the biographical entry from the world-famous Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A good gateway to understanding the great naturalist
Few Englishmen have had a more profound - and controversial - impact on history than Charles Darwin.Born in 1809 to a prosperous family of doctors and manufacturers, he received training first as a doctor and then a clergymen before embracing a career as a naturalist.His five-year voyage on the "Beagle" became the defining experience of his life, inspiring him to reevaluate natural history and giving him a wealth of material to study.Establishing a career as a gentleman scientist, he gradually came to embrace the concept of "natural selection", yet shied from publishing his conclusions until prodded by a similar paper by Alfred Russell Wallace.Publication of "The Origin of Species" in 1859 triggered an onslaught on controversy, one that did not deter Darwin from continuing his biological studies until his death in 1882.

Darwin's life has received enormous attention - so much so, as Adrian Desmond, James Moore, and Janet Browne note in the preface to this book, that today "historians know more about his career than his family did, and in respects . . . they even know more about the man."Such a massive amount of information can prove difficult to summarize, but the three authors rove more than capable of the task.Taken from their entry on Darwin for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Plus Index of Contributors (60 Volumes), each draw upon their particular specialty - Desmond on the politics of evolution, evolution and Darwin's colleagues, Moore on the secular and religious contexts, and Browne on the history of botany - to present a comprehensive portrait of Darwin, one that captures the amazing range of his natural studies.Supplemented with a final chapter on his legacy, the book serves as a good introduction to the famous naturalist, as well as a guide to the mountain of further literature on his life and legacy.

A quick overview of Darwin
First, it's quite important to note this:neither the catalogue description attached to this item nor many of the readers' reviews actually speak to the Very Interesting People series volume on Darwin.Instead, they refer to Janet Browne's magisterial (two volume) biography of Darwin.Confusing.

Second, the actual short VIP biography of Darwin co-written by Adrian Desmond, James Moore, and Janet Browne, is a judiciously compact overview of his life and work--although it's SO compact that it tends to be a Sergeant Friday-like "just the facts, ma'am" exercise.The authors run through Darwin's early years, his Beagle adventures, his return to England, gradual invalidism, marriage, Downe House, the writing of the Origin, and his subsequent work.None of it is new or unexpected, but an especially nice feature is the way in which the authors demonstrate that Darwin's post-Origin writing, varied as it seems on the surface, all labors to continue the Origin thesis by documenting gradual change (earthworms working the earth), variability (his work on orchids), adaptability (plant fertilization), and commonalities across species (emotions).For the casual explorer of Darwin's accomplishments, this tying-together is very helpful.

Readers who find themselves wanting to know more about Darwin's life, times, and work can do no better than use this little book as a stepping stone to the Origin of Species itself (perhaps an abridged version) and Janet Browne's huge and fascinating biography. ... Read more

Product Description

Charles Robert Darwin (1809–1882) has been widely recognized since his own time as one of the most influential writers in the history of Western thought. His books were widely read by specialists and the general public, and his influence had been extended by almost continuous public debate over the past 150 years. New York University Press's new paperback edition makes it possible to review Darwin's public literary output as a whole, plus his scientific journal articles, his private notebooks, and his correspondence.

This is complete edition contains all of Darwin's published books, featuring definitive texts recording original pagination with Darwin's indexes retained. The set also features a general introduction and index, and introductions to each volume.

Product Description
Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (published 24 November 1859) is a seminal work in scientific literature and a landmark work in evolutionary biology. The book's full title is On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, while for the 6th edition of 1872 the title was changed to The Origin of Species. It introduced the theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. Darwin's book was the culmination of evidence he had accumulated on the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s and expanded through continuing investigations and experiments after his return.

The book is readable even for the non-specialist and attracted widespread interest on publication. The book was controversial because it contradicted religious beliefs that underlay the then current theories of biology, and it generated much discussion on scientific, philosophical, and religious grounds. The scientific theory of evolution has itself evolved since Darwin's contributions, but natural selection remains the most widely accepted scientific model of speciation. Despite the overwhelming scientific consensus, legal challenges to the theory of evolution continue to this day in some countries.

[Source: Wikipedia.org] ... Read more

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Tales of the human history of the Galapagos Islands, of the buccaneers, whalers, settlers, and even an American President, who have visited the islands since their accidental discovery by a banana importer in 1535. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Serious research and amusing
A nice compendium of the human history of Galápagos, including never published info and author's discoveries. The chapters are well seasoned with anecdotes and funny conclusions. Not boring at all.

The author has tracked the voyages of the main explorers, which were published in a map. See Islas Galapagos Historical Chart.

Where Darwin Slept
Most books about the Galapagos Islands are concerned with their natural history but relatively few fully discuss the human history of the islands. This book belongs to the latter catagory and presents an in depth review of how people have interacted with the islands. It is rich with detailed activities of various rogues, knaves, hermits, whalers, tyrants, murderers, and misguided settlers who attempted to establish colonies on these islands.

The Galapagos archipelago was discovered in 1535 during the voyage of the Bishop of Panama, Fray Tomas de Berlanga who was on his way to investigate the activities of conquistadors in Peru. His ship was becalmed and drifted westward due to the ocean currents. On March 10th,1535 an island was sighted and a party went ashore in search of fresh water. Although he did not name the island he described the fauna in a letter to the King of Spain. Known variously as Las Enchantadas, the Archapelago de Ecuador and the Archepalago de Colon, they first appeared on a map as the Galapagos in 1570. The archipelago was claimed by Ecuador in 1832 and the first colony, which consisted of convicts and political prisoners, was established on the island of Floreana.

The most famous visit to the Galapagos was Charles Darwin's during the voyage of HMS Beagle in 1835 which is thoroughly covered in this book. The effects of his monumental conclusions following a five week study of the islands are presented in detail.

The islands of the archipelago are arid with the exception of Froreana where fresh water is available. The history of this island is particularly interesting. The book includes information about the whaler's post office barrel, a slave rebellion, the bizarre activities of an Irish hermit, and the mysterious disappearance of the Baroness vo Wagner de Bosquet. In addition, the activities of a variety of other visitors are described. I was fascinated to learn of the efforts of several groups of Norwegians to establish permanent settlements. In spite of their Teutonic stubornness all such activities failed.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of the Galapagos.

Want to know the "real" story of the Galapagos?
We all want to go and a lucky few have been. Most books on the Galapagos are either about Darwin's famous finches or about the beautiful flora and fauna. Not this time. This Galapagos historian writes of the "human history" of the islands. This incredible book reads like the most captivating novel. Out of its pages spill pirates, a famous writer, a baroness and her lovers, miscellaneous adventurers, mysterious travelers and so much more. If you have even a passing interest in these enchanted islands, this book will leave you wanting more. ... Read more

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A collection of letters of the great scientist, and an autobiographical chapter. ... Read more

Product Description
According to Wikipedia: "Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 - 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist. After becoming eminent among scientists for his field work and inquiries into geology, he proposed and provided scientific evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from one or a few common ancestors through the process of natural selection. The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific community and the general public in his lifetime, while his theory of natural selection came to be widely seen as the primary explanation of the process of evolution in the 1930s, and now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory. In modified form, Darwin?s scientific discovery remains the foundation of biology, as it provides a unifying logical explanation for the diversity of life." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Paging Dr Darwin
This is one of those books you should read. If only to have a better side of the argument when you run up against a Creationist at a holiday party.

On the Origin of Species
Darwin, C. R. 1859. On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. London: John Murray. 1st edition, 1st issue.

How does one write a review of the Origin, that most influential of scientific books? Darwin's peers reviewed him critically and in great length according to the traditions and beliefs of the day. Yet a modern person inevitably reads the book influenced by their knowledge of the theory's great and lasting impact on science and culture. Likewise, a modern biologist would recognize the gaps and errors in Darwin's incomplete theory. Instead of evaluating its cultural impact or scientific value I will focus on its actual written style and argumentative structure. Was his argument logical? Was it "good science"?

Chapter one examines a practice already well-known to the English: artificial selection by breeding, or domestication. Horticulturalists and animal breeders already knew much about selection of variations through generations of practice. Darwin speculates on the scientific causes of variation, but concluded that not enough was known about the principles of inheritance to address the issue. Instead he focused on what he did know - only inherited variations come into play in selection. By taking up the study of pigeons, Darwin learned firsthand the art of animal breeding. By establishing himself as a pigeon expert, Darwin is trying to legitimize his claim as a zoologist and one who intimately understands breeding and domestication. His claim appears to work; at least has convinced me of his authority on the subject, and I'm sure many contemporary readers. By describing the accepted idea of artificial selection in detail, Darwin creates an analogy between it and his revolutionary idea of natural selection to enable the reader to grasp the concept more readily.

In chapters three and four Darwin introduces natural selection. He posits that natural selection acts on the same principles as artificial selection, but on a broader scale with no intelligent agent guiding it. Nature is a Malthusian struggle for existence - Darwin illustrates this by describing the geometrical increase that would result from unhindered reproduction. Many living organisms produce far more offspring than their environment could actually support, leading to a fierce competition for resources. Nature consists of checks and complicated relationships between species in order to preserve this precarious balance. If species are being naturally selected for fitness in this savage environment minute by minute over a vast time, it could explain the immense number of different species we observe in nature.

Darwin details his mechanism of natural selection by listing the conditions in which it would work faster or slower, including intercrossing, isolated populations, and number of individuals. The means of natural selection is to a large degree sexual selection, by which species choose the fittest mates and pass down successful inherited qualities. Natural selection may even cause a species to become extinct if it is not able to compete with other species. Trying to portray natural selection as an unfeeling force of nature, Darwin was not hesitant to describe the savage ways that species compete with each other, including parasites.

In chapter six Darwin addresses possible objections to his theory, as should any well structured argument. For example, according to natural selection, we should see such a progression of species showing every step of modification between two related but divergent species. Yet we do not see such species in nature - Darwin concludes that they probably went extinct, since natural selection would favor extremes so that species would not occupy the same niche. Only in the fossil record may we find such intermediary species, and the fossil record will always be incomplete. One popular argument against natural selection both then and now is the "organs of extreme perfection" argument, of which the eye is the most popular example. How could the eye, an organ so perfectly adapted to perceive light, have evolved by random variation? Darwin answers this objection by recounting observations of eyes in crustaceans, which are presumably relics of mammalian evolution. He observes that the crustacean eye is a less developed, less sophisticated version of the mammalian eye and thus can illuminate the transitory steps that resulted from random variation over the ages to result in the perfected eye. Darwin also points out that not all animal organs are perfectly suited to their task. What about the peculiarity of humans in that all food must pass over the trachea, leading to possible risk of infection if food enters the lungs? The glottis seems like a stopgap, an imperfect measure to ensure that this does not normally happen. That such evolutionary maladaptations exist points to a lack ofan intelligent design.

In his conclusion, Darwin agrees that there are holes in his theory and aspects which could be better explained. After all, his Origins is just an abstract of the real book that he hoped to publish. Yet on the whole, he is convinced that the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of natural selection. His argument is logical, and according to the Whewellian model of inductive reasoning he has gathered a bewildering array of observations from nature to examples to support his hypothesis. At a time when hypothesizing was not considered "good science", Darwin still submitted his broad theory because he realized it explained many observations in many different fields of science. Even now, his theory explains scientific findings that Darwin could never have dreamed of.Such is the legacy of true "good science".

Need to know for cultural literacy
Because these reviews are cross-posted this is a review of ISBN: 0517123207, with a cover that was defiantly made to be provocative. It depicts an (ape) allying view of going from all fours to upright. If this is what you are looking for then you need to read " 2001: A Space Odyssey" by Arthur Charles Clarke.

This is a quick review of the book not a dissertation on Darwin or any other subject loosely related. At first I did not know what to expect. I already read " The Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches" (see my review). I figured the book would be similar. However I found "Origin" to be more complex and detailed.

Taking in account that recent pieces of knowledge were not available to Charles Darwin this book could have been written last week. Having to look from the outside without the knowledge of DNA or Plate Tectonics, he pretty much nailed how the environment and crossbreeding would have an effect on natural selection. Speaking of natural selection, I thought his was going to be some great insight to a new concept. All it means is that species are not being mucked around by man (artificial selection).

If you picked up Time magazine today you would find all the things that Charles said would be near impossible to find or do. Yet he predicted that it is doable in theory. With an imperfect geological record many things he was not able to find at the writing of this book have been found (according to the possibilities described in the book.)

The only draw back to the book was his constant apologizing. If he had more time and space he could prove this and that. Or it looks like this but who can say at this time. Or the same evidence can be interpreted 180 degrees different.

In the end it is worth reading and you will never look at life the same way again
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Product Description
This is a guidebook to the restored home of Charles Darwin, Down House, written by the former curator of Down House and the Darwin Museum. It describes a tour of the downstairs rooms, which include Darwin's study, drawing room, dining room and billiards room, along with the furniture and possessions of the Darwins. It also surveys the exhibition area on the first floor, which tells the story of Darwin's life and work. Finally, it describes the gardens and Darwin's "thinking path", where he formulated many of his evolutionary theories, and the greenhouse and laboratory where he carried out many of his experiments on plants and insects. ... Read more