Evolution's Captain - Softcover
Presents the story of how a misguided decision by Robert FitzRoy, captain of the HMS Beagle, precipitated his employment of a young naturalist named Charles Darwin, and how the clash between FitzRoy's fundamentalist views and Darwin's discoveries led to FitzRoy's descent into the abyss.
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About the Author:
From Publishers Weekly:
Peter Nichols is the author of the national bestseller A Voyage for Madmen and two other books, Sea Change: Alone Across the Atlantic in a Wooden Boat, a memoir, and the novel Voyage to the North Star. He has taught creative writing at NYU in Paris and Georgetown University, and presently teaches at Bowdoin College. He is lives in Maine with his wife and son.
Readers familiar with how Darwin developed his theory of evolution will recognize the HMS Beagle as the ship that took him on his research expedition, but that's probably the extent of their knowledge of the vessel. Nichols (A Voyage for Madmen, etc.) fills in the gaps with this biography of Robert FitzRoy, the Beagle's second captain. In 1828, FitzRoy took command after the first captain went mad and killed himself. Picking up where his predecessor left off charting the waters off South America, FitzRoy captured several natives and brought them back to England so they could be taught the ways of Western civilization. Complications required their immediate return, and it was FitzRoy's request for a traveling companion of equal social status on this hastily planned journey that resulted in Darwin's coming aboard. Nichols, who has taught creative writing at Georgetown and NYU, picks his narrative details well, fleshing out FitzRoy's personality and his shifting relationship with Darwin (though initially friendly, the captain came to violently reject his traveling companion's scientific conclusions). The bulk of the story is devoted to FitzRoy's two missions for the Royal Navy, both of which made him a well-known figure in England. The final chapters trace his eventual downfall, though emphasizing the "dark fate" in the subtitle is rather misleading. Though the author's enthusiasm for his subject can lead to hyperbole, it'll prove hard not to share his fascination with how FitzRoy's naval career inadvertently set off a scientific controversy still flaring to this day. 8 illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherHarper Collins
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 0732274788
- ISBN 13 9780732274788
- BindingPaperback
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Evolution's captain: The dark fate of the man who sailed Charles Darwin around the world
Published by
HarperCollins, Sydney
(2003)
ISBN 10: 0732274788
ISBN 13: 9780732274788
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Book Description Softcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. Edition Unstated. Size: Octavo (standard book size). 328 pages. Text body is clean, and free from previous owner annotation, underlining and highlighting. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. All edges clean, neat and free of foxing. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilogram. Category: History; Australia; Science & Technology. ISBN: 0732274788. ISBN/EAN: 9780732274788. Dewey Code: 918.276044 22. All our pictures shown here are of the actual item, not stock photos. Inventory No: RB15717. For further info on this title, click on the "Contact Seller" button within this listing. We will try to reply within 24 hours. Otherwise you can order right now (inclusive of shipping options) from the "Add to Basket" button to the right. Seller Inventory # RB15717
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Evolution's Captain
Published by
Harper Collins, Australia
(2003)
ISBN 10: 0732274788
ISBN 13: 9780732274788
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Soft cover
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Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Birthday gift inscription, else a very clean copy. Presents the story of how a misguided decision by Robert FitzRoy, captain of the HMS Beagle, precipitated his employment of a young naturalist named Charles Darwin, and how the clash between FitzRoy's fundamentalist views and Darwin's discoveries led to FitzRoy's descent into the abyss. Seller Inventory # 031388
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Evolution's Captain - The Dark Fate of the Man Who Sailed Charles Darwin Around the World
Published by
Harper Collins, Australia
(2003)
ISBN 10: 0732274788
ISBN 13: 9780732274788
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Book Description Softcover. Condition: Very Good. Size: 9"-10" Tall. Quantity Available: 1. Category: Travel & Places; World History; Ships & the Sea. ISBN: 0732274788. ISBN/EAN: 9780732274788. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 35353. Seller Inventory # 35353
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Evolution's Captain: The Dark Fate of the Man who Sailed Charles Darwin Around the World [Robert FitzRoy].
Published by
HarperCollins, Sydney
(2003)
ISBN 10: 0732274788
ISBN 13: 9780732274788
Used
Softcover
Quantity: 1
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Book Description Paperback octavo, very good condition, few black & white text-drawings, edges lightly toned, spine little creased, minor edgewear. 328 pp. Peter Nichols provides the untold story of Robert FitzRoy, the captain of the HMS Beagle and Charles Darwin's unlikely companion on the landmark journey that lead to his theory of evolution. The five-year-long scientific expedition aboard the HMS Beagle launched Darwin into lasting fame and distinction, and drove Robert Fitzroy to commit suicide. (1 of 2 available copies.). Seller Inventory # 30264
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