- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins (20 May 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007101899
- ISBN-13: 978-0007101894
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,724,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
Written by Charles Darwin's great-grandson, this book charts in detail the entire voyage of the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, a journey which took the 22-year-old Darwin around the world visiting South America, Australia, the Pacific and the Galapagos. The book concentrates on the scientific discoveries made on the four-year trip, but it's lightened by liberal chunks from Darwin's diaries, which give revealing glimpses into the psyche of a man who tried hard to be objective about all he saw. Darwin, who said 'there is nothing like geology', and who liked nothing better than documenting the animal and botanical kingdoms, made quaintly patronising (to our modern-day sensibilities) comments about the native peoples he encountered, repelled and fascinated as he was by their lack of hygiene and apparent lack of intelligence. He saw the Eastern Ona tribe of Tierra del Fuego as savages, 'miserable creatures with hideous faces', only softening after further acquaintance to find them 'more amusing than any monkeys'. Darwin was tough - he had to be, surviving typhoid fever as well as all the discomforts of a strenuous voyage - and he regarded illness as merely an inconvenience in the pursuit of the 'great adventure'. On the journey he saw a tsunami, discovered prehistoric fossils, hunted ostriches and rode with gauchos; he saw a swarm of yellow butterflies a mile in width and several miles in length. Handsome line drawings by Darwin's artist companions on the trip grace the pages of this enlightening book. Professor Keynes shows how the trip fuelled ideas for Darwin's later theories on evolution, natural selection and the writing of The Origin of Species. This is a meaty dissection of Darwin's ground-breaking voyage, the precursor to a revolutionary change in Western thought. (Kirkus UK)
Product Description
A narrative account of Darwin’s historic 4-year voyage on the Beagle to South America, Australia and the Pacific in the 1830s that combines the adventure and excitement of Alan Moorehead’s famous (and now out of print) account with an expert assessment of the scientific discoveries of that journey. The author is Charles Darwin’s great-grandson.
• In his autobiography, Charles Darwin wrote: ‘The voyage of the Beagle has been by far the most important event in my life and has determined my whole career; yet it depended on so small a circumstance as my uncle offering to drive me 30 miles to Shrewsbury, which few uncles would have done, and on such a trifle as the shape of my nose. I have always felt that I owe to the voyage the first real training or education of my mind. I was led to attend closely to several branches of natural history, and thus my powers of observation were improved, though they were already fairly developed. The investigation of the geology of all the places visited was far more important, as reasoning here comes into play.’
No biography of Darwin has yet done justice to what the scientific research actually was that occupied Darwin during the voyage. Keynes shows exactly how Darwin’s geological researches and his observations on natural history sowed the seeds of his revolutionary theory of evolution, and led to the writing of his great works On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Mr. Keynes (great-grandson of Charles Darwin) re-plays the voyage of the Beagle, with some interesting back-up material. We read of Darwin's early life and his family connections, and the Beagle's Capt. FitzRoy's interest in returning to Tierra del Fuego. Included are plenty of extracts from others' letters and logs, plus many original drawings & paintings. And there is a nice touch; at the top of each page is the month and year, so you are continually reminded of just how much time has passed.
Having read and enjoyed Darwin's 'Voyage of the Beagle', I was not expecting much in the way of startling new evidence re his discoveries & theories. And there is not; but what IS there, is more focus on his time in Patagonia, which surprisingly covered 2 years - nearly half the 5 year trip ... which is not apparent in the 'Voyage' (in my faulty memory) ... And the Beagle only spent 5 weeks in the Galapagos, but that short stay provided most of the hard evidence which fuelled Darwin's later theorising.
Further visits to N.Z., Australia and Tasmania showed the devastation to the indiginous wildlife caused by introduced species, which prompted more thoughts on survival. Had more time been available in Mauritius or Madagascar, his theorising might have been more concentrated and conclusions derived earlier (but of course, 20/20 hindsight always provides the best view!).
Mr. Keynes provides a modern perspective on the scientific method of the young (23) Darwin, especially in his noting exactly which strata fossils were found, and his meticulously accurate un-biased descriptions of specimens (not a predominant trait in the scientific community at that time!). Particular focus is placed on his geological and fossil studies - largely glossed over by Darwin himself - revealing some deep background thinking which was formative in constructing his Theory of Evolution. The penultimste chapter reveals how Darwin spent the 20-odd years leading up to the publication of 'Origin'; how his Father and reading Malthus simulated his imagination; how his friendship with Lyell and Wallace proved crucial in the book's publication. It also underlines the idea that luck, having independant means (something denied to Wallace), and being in the right place at the right time (like Capt. Cook) probably had more to do with his success than his brilliance did.
In a touching final chapter we feel the love and friendship that grew between FitzRoy and Darwin during those 5 years on board, FitzRoy's subsequent jobs, then his final descent into depression and suicide..
Not an easy read; Mr. Keynes' writing style is not as fluid or easy on the eye as some other writers in the popular science arena, and some of the attached letters are hard going. I found myself frequently re-reading passages to ensure that I had the correct gist of the text.
However, that apart, this is an illuminating, fresh look at what was probably the most important voyage - ever - for philosophical science.****
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