Darwin's Origin of Species: A Biography (Books That Changed the World) - Hardcover

Browne, Janet

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0871139537 ISBN 13: 9780871139535

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2007

Synopsis

Charles Darwin’s foremost biographer, Janet Browne, delivers a vivid and accessible introduction to the book that permanently altered our understanding of what it is to be human.  A sensation on its publication in 1859, The Origin of the Species profoundly shocked Victorian readers by calling into question the belief in a Creator with its description of evolution through natural selection.  And Darwin’s seminal work is nearly as controversial today.  In her illuminating study, Browne delves into the long genesis of Darwin’s theories, from his readings as a university student and his five-year voyage on the Beagle , to his debates with contemporaries and experiments in his garden.  She explores the shock to Darwin when he read of competing scientist’s similar discoveries and the wide and immediate impact of Darwin’s theories on the world. As one of the launch titles in Atlantic Monthly Press’ Books That Changed the World” series, Browne’s history takes readers inside The Origin of the Species and shows why it can fairly claim to be the greatest science book ever published.

About this title

About the Author:

Janet Browne is a professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London.

From AudioFile:

This brief book, written by the foremost biographer of Darwin, outlines the history of his landmark work, ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. Browne gives an overview of Darwin's life, discusses how he wrote the book (and what influence he had from others), how it was received and debated in Victorian England, and the book's legacy since its publication. Narrator Josephine Bailey reads with poise and aplomb, maintaining a didactic tone throughout. Her gentle, comforting British accent makes this an agreeable reading. However, when narrating quotes, she adopts a scratchy voice or lowers her voice in an attempt to sound more "masculine." This detracts a bit from the overall character of the book. K.M. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0871139537
• ISBN 13: 9780871139535
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320