A classic of intellectual adventure -- and of travel literature -- this natural history narrative is a cornerstone in the development of evolutionary theory. The Beagle departed from England for Patagonia in 1831 on a voyage to map the coast of South America. The vessel's captain had an additional agenda: attempting to establish the literal truth of the biblical account of the earth's creation. His primary investigator was the ship's naturalist, young Charles Darwin, who began the voyage with both scientific and theological objections to the notion of evolution but concluded the journey with the publication of this work, a landmark in the concept of natural selection.
As the Beagle's two-year itinerary stretched into five years, Darwin found ample opportunity to note the constant change in the variety of creatures he observed, particularly among the unique animals of the Galápagos: marine iguanas and land-dwelling iguanas; giant tortoises with shells exhibiting a diverse range of shapes and patterns; and more than 20 species of finches, each with a distinctive beak. Although obviously related to each other, many species appeared to have developed adaptations that made them better suited to their particular environment.
Upon his return home in 1836, Darwin published a series of books based on the notebooks and diaries from his voyage, including this historic work -- essential reading for scientists, historians, and anyone with an interest in the natural world.
About the Author: Charles Darwin was born in England in 1809 and attended the University of Edinburgh to study medicine. When he decided against that vocation, he enrolled at Cambridge where he earned a degree in theology. During an expedition to Africa and South America, Darwin continued his studies in natural science and began writing about his theories of natural selection. His work led to the publication of On the Origin of Species, a book that changed the world.Charles Darwin: Original Thinking
Each generation of students comes to Darwin's epoch-making works, several of which are the basis of our publishing program in biology and related fields: The Essential Darwin, 2006; The Descent of Man, 2010; The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, 2006;and On the Origin of the Species, 2006.
In the Author's Own Words:
A mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat which isn't there.
I feel most deeply that this whole question of Creation is too profound for human intellect. A dog might as well speculate on the mind of Newton! Let each man hope and believe what he can.
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.
There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.
Man with all his noble qualities, with sympathy which feels for the most debased, with benevolence which extends not only to other men but to the humblest living creature, with his god-like intellect which has penetrated into the movements and constitution of the solar system -- with all these exalted powers -- Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin. -- Charles Darwin
