The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution (Great Discoveries) - Hardcover

Quammen, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393059812 ISBN 13: 9780393059816

Publisher: W. W. Norton, 2006

Synopsis

A fresh look at Darwin's most radical idea, and the mysteriously slow process by which he revealed it.

Evolution, during the early nineteenth century, was an idea in the air. Other thinkers had suggested it, but no one had proposed a cogent explanation for how evolution occurs. Then, in September 1838, a young Englishman named Charles Darwin hit upon the idea that "natural selection" among competing individuals would lead to wondrous adaptations and species diversity. Twenty-one years passed between that epiphany and publication of On the Origin of Species. The human drama and scientific basis of Darwin's twenty-one-year delay constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution.

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin is a book for everyone who has ever wondered about who this man was and what he said. Drawing from Darwin's secret "transmutation" notebooks and his personal letters, David Quammen has sketched a vivid life portrait of the man whose work never ceases to be controversial.

About this title

About the Author:

David Quammen, the author of The Song of the Dodo, is a three-time winner of the National Magazine Award, most recently for a National Geographic story on Darwin. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.

From AudioFile:

Why did Charles Darwin, hitting upon the idea of natural selection in 1838, wait 21 years to present his startling discovery? Was he shy? Was the idea not ready for public scrutiny? Or was he himself spiritually troubled by it? Quammen, understandably perplexed by this caution, examines the great man's life, following the growth of his ideas to hypothesize why he delayed publication. Grover Gardner's reading pulses with the excitement of Quammen's quest. As the author sifts through Darwin's developing insights and personality quirks, including anxiety and compulsive vomiting, Gardner is perfectly alert to the author's subtle irony and humor, which Quammen could hardly avoid. Portraying Darwin respectfully and fully aware of his stature, Quammen never loses sight of the Victorian roots that troubled Darwin all his life. P.E.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0393059812
• ISBN 13: 9780393059816
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304