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Review
At last, a biography to match the man. . . . Darwin, his family, his colleagues, and his milieu come alive in this book. . . . Superbly written.--Everett Menselson, Harvard University
Product Description
This biography of Charles Darwin attempts to capture the private unknown life of the real man - the gambling and gluttony at Cambridge, his gruelling trip round the globe, his intimate family life, worries about persecution and thoughts about God. Central to all of this, his pioneering efforts on the theory of evolution now that recent studies have overturned the commonplace views of Darwin that have held for more than a century.
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First Sentence
CHARLES DARWIN'S grandfather Erasmus had a lacerating wit and a loathing of meddling gods. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
CHARLES DARWIN'S grandfather Erasmus had a lacerating wit and a loathing of meddling gods. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For anyone with an interest in natural history, the Victorian era and the enigma of Darwin this book cannot fail to please. Revealed within its more than 600 pages of narrative (the rest of the book is index / bibliography) is the dramatic and fascinating story of how evolution travelled from heresy to accepted wisdom in the space of a single generation. Far from being a matter of purely scientific interest, evolution and natural selection went to the very heart of a country riven with conflict over the place of man in the scheme of things. The ruling classes and the wealthy clergy could not allow the idea of evolution to take hold - to accept that we are all descendants of apes is to accept that there is no fundamental difference between men of different classes and no overriding need for the Established Church (a mere invention of man).
Thus we see that Darwin was torn throughout his life between loyalty to his class (landed gentry) and loyalty to his science. Other men went to prison for denying the truths of Christianity but Darwin was no martyr. His approach was rather one of stealth - gradually pursuing his research and publishing only when the time was right, often many years after his discoveries were made.
A weak man physically we see a man of inner strength and possessing a determination to see the truth prevail.
From first to last this book is a masterpiece of its genre.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Charles Darwin's life was fascinating. It is brilliantly described in this book by Adrian Desmond and James Moore - essential reading for anyone with an interest in Darwin. It makes gripping reading, too, for any reader who wants to learn about Darwin.
Patrick Taylor
Patrick Taylor
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you have even a passing interest in Darwin or the Victorian age this book will thrill you. It is very long and detailed but incredibly well-written and accessible. At times it is more like reading a gripping novel than a historical biography. Fully deserving of all the awards and accolades it received, it really places Darwin in his historical context and is as good a biography as I have ever read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A bouquet of wild lilies
`I am a withered leaf for every subject except science' (p.553)
Interesting to have just read 677 pages on a superior yet flawed character whose transition into an `ism'... Read more
Interesting to have just read 677 pages on a superior yet flawed character whose transition into an `ism'... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Guy reid-brown
Darwin
Very pleased with prompt delivery on this item required for my daughter's coursework in September
Published on 28 Aug 2009 by Mrs. S. Davies
Impressive insight into the man and his time
I first read this book some ten years ago. It remains one of my very favourite biographies. As well as providing an excellent insight into the work of Darwin, it sets his life in... Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2008 by A. Jordan
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