Evolution

When the eminent naturalist Charles Darwin returned from South America on board the HMS Beagle in 1836, he brought with him the notes and evidence which would form the basis of his landmark theory of evolution of species by a process of natural selection. This theory, published as The Origin of Species in 1859, sparked a fierce scientific, religious, and philosophical debate which continues heatedly today. This seminal work is presented with The Voyage of the Beagle , a vivid travel memoir as well as a detailed scientific field journal. Ordered by place, covering area from Northern Chile to Australia to Cape Verde Islands, this text contains hints of the theories that were later developed in The Origin of Species .

On December 27, 1831, Charles Darwin left Plymouth Harbor aboard the H. M. S. Beagle. For the next five years, the naturalist conducted research on plants and animals from around the globe, amassing a body of evidence that would culminate in one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind—the theory of evolution.In The Origin of Species, Darwin convincingly demonstrates the fact of evolution: that existing animals and plants cannot have appeared separately, but must have slowly transformed from ancestral creatures. Most important, Origin fully explains the mechanism that effects such a transformation: natural selection, the idea that made evolution scientifically intelligible for the first time.One of the few revolutionary works of science that is engrossingly readable, The Origin of Species not only launched the science of modern biology, but has influenced all subsequent literary, philosophical, and religious thinkers since.George Levine, Kenneth Burke Professor of English Literature at Rutgers University, has written extensively about Darwin and science-literature relations, particularly in Darwin and the Novelists. He is the author of many related books, including The Realistic Imagination, Dying to Know, and his birdwatching memoirs, Lifebirds.

Imagine holding a piece of history that revolutionized our understanding of life's diversity. Reading Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species' connects you directly with the moment a bold new idea took root. It's not just for scientists; it’s surprisingly digestible and maintains a raw clarity lost in later editions. Dive in, and you'll be engaging with the thoughts that shaped modern science.