| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £3.85
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in On the Origin of Species: The Illustrated Edition for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £3.85, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Praise for the hardcover edition
"The most influential book in science gets a face-lift with some amazing graphics and Quammen's erudite editing."--"Library Journal" (The Best Sci-Tech books of 2008) "The perfect way to become acquainted with the authentic voice of the greatest biologist of all time, in a context provided by one of the finest scientific writers of today."--Gregory A. Petsko, "European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Journal
" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
"The most influential book in science gets a face-lift with some amazing graphics and Quammen's erudite editing."--"Library Journal" (The Best Sci-Tech books of 2008) "The perfect way to become acquainted with the authentic voice of the greatest biologist of all time, in a context provided by one of the finest scientific writers of today."--Gregory A. Petsko, "European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Journal
" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Product Description
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. In his landmark study, Darwin theorised that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. These ideas flew in the face of long-held beliefs and the book immediately became one of the most controversial scientific works in history - and it still remains so today. Now, for the first time, Darwin s classic is fully and handsomely illustrated with more than 350 illustrations and photographs, many of them in brilliant colour. Reproductions from Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle, his journal of the travels that led to his remarkable breakthrough, appear throughout, inviting readers to experience Darwin s journey and to understand how he developed his theory of evolution. In addition, brief excerpts from his letters, diaries and correspondence bring both Darwin the man and his revolutionary discovery to life. Also includes photos from Darwin s archives & his Glossary of the Species
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
82 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a "coffee table" sized book i.e. on the large side which is a bit of a shock if you are expecting something you can carry easily. However the plus side is the fantastic colour plates and the addition of supporting material from the Beagle voyage, Darwin's autobiography and journals. A book to enjoy whilst sitting comfortably at home rather than on public transport.
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the most beautiful edition of Darwin's Origin of the Species I have come across. With lots of facsimiles of the original book, Darwin's letters and other memorabilia from the original it really adds to the book's content. Highly Recommended
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This large (and attractively cheap!) book is instantly appealing, crying out to be flipped through. There are hundreds of photographs and drawings of animals, plants, people and places, and portraits of Darwin and his peers. There are also many text panels livening up the main read with extracts from Darwin's "Voyage Of The Beagle", and his autobiography, and the volume of his life and letters produced by his son Francis. These panels tend to form an unrelated 'sub-plot' in each chapter, adding colour, context and interest.
Darwin's text is still one of the world's most important books and I was delighted to find his prose so graceful, his tone so calmly intelligent, and his intellect so sprawlingly compendious. His book went through six editions in his lifetime, during which he tinkered with the text to answer his critics; this version wisely presents the original and uncluttered first edition text. Although I understood evolution by natural selection well enough before (Dawkins fan), I had not realised the degree of detail and care that Darwin brought to his exposition, and the amount of evidence he marshals from so many directions (embryology, geology, geography, taxonomy...). He also anticipates his critics by laying out what he regards as the problems for the theory, as well as its strength. The work will be a tad dry for some readers' tastes (I took a month over it), but it is a quiet joy.
Quammen's introduction explores Darwin's life and puts his achievement in the context of the time. Included as an appendix is Darwin's introduction to the third edition, in which he diligently credits all those writers who had approached the same theory before him (including Wallace of course). There's also a biological glossary and a substantial index.
My only concern (aside from a few typos) is that the illustrations, whilst almost all of splendid quality, only rarely bear on the main text. Instead, they more often illustrate the Beagle tales from the text panels, or show people and places important in Darwin's life. This is a curious decision, given that there's scarcely a page of Darwin's text that couldn't be enriched by direct illustration or diagrams. To give one example, page 188 discusses three species of bird and a bear; but it is illustrated by a photo of a Galapagos shark. Darwin doesn't once mention sharks in the whole book!
However, this slightly odd policy is not worth docking a star from this beautiful (bargain!) book. If you're going to read "On The Origin Of Species", I reckon this is the version you want.
Darwin's text is still one of the world's most important books and I was delighted to find his prose so graceful, his tone so calmly intelligent, and his intellect so sprawlingly compendious. His book went through six editions in his lifetime, during which he tinkered with the text to answer his critics; this version wisely presents the original and uncluttered first edition text. Although I understood evolution by natural selection well enough before (Dawkins fan), I had not realised the degree of detail and care that Darwin brought to his exposition, and the amount of evidence he marshals from so many directions (embryology, geology, geography, taxonomy...). He also anticipates his critics by laying out what he regards as the problems for the theory, as well as its strength. The work will be a tad dry for some readers' tastes (I took a month over it), but it is a quiet joy.
Quammen's introduction explores Darwin's life and puts his achievement in the context of the time. Included as an appendix is Darwin's introduction to the third edition, in which he diligently credits all those writers who had approached the same theory before him (including Wallace of course). There's also a biological glossary and a substantial index.
My only concern (aside from a few typos) is that the illustrations, whilst almost all of splendid quality, only rarely bear on the main text. Instead, they more often illustrate the Beagle tales from the text panels, or show people and places important in Darwin's life. This is a curious decision, given that there's scarcely a page of Darwin's text that couldn't be enriched by direct illustration or diagrams. To give one example, page 188 discusses three species of bird and a bear; but it is illustrated by a photo of a Galapagos shark. Darwin doesn't once mention sharks in the whole book!
However, this slightly odd policy is not worth docking a star from this beautiful (bargain!) book. If you're going to read "On The Origin Of Species", I reckon this is the version you want.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
a great book
I got it for my science loving boyfriend who does not like reading, however he is already started to read it. Its a very nice gift.
Published 3 months ago by Marika
for the biologist
This book will definitely get you in bed with a biologist. She will love the illustrations and she will love you. The perfect gift for a loved one who eats, sleeps, lives biology.
Published 4 months ago by Georgios Karakatsanis
Lovely book
What can i say that already has not been said about this man.I suppose some may agree or disagree but all i can say is the quality of the book is amazing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by bubba
Great Book
I use this book for uni work, its awesome. The pictures are
really nice and the book which has amazing illustrations.
really nice and the book which has amazing illustrations.
Published 4 months ago by Miss Readsalot
Two beautiful things...
This book has been produced on the premise that two beautiful things, when put together, make something even more beautiful, just like wine and cheese, a sail on the sea, the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Martyn Murray
moderation in revolution
I've read other editions of the same work earlier, what interested me about this edition was the addition of photographs; and of course the historical significance of the book made... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Donald Welsh
Nice, but could be better
Ok so in many senses the book is nicely laid out. But it's like reading three books simultaneously.
First there is the text of the first edition of the Origin which is... Read more
First there is the text of the first edition of the Origin which is... Read more
Published 17 months ago by ZeroZero
Fairy Tales
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORIGINS OF THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION:
Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins are probably laughing there way to the bank.. Read more
Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins are probably laughing there way to the bank.. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Holiness
Beautifully illustrated book
This book is huge- The story of evolution told through beautiful photographs and illustrations. This is a wonderful coffee table book.
Published on 23 April 2010 by Jessica Hinchliffe
A jewel of a book
A wonderful book, both in its presentation and in its content. Basically, the book is a reprint of The Origin of Species. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2010 by Mark Montebello Daritama
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
