Darwin: A Life in Science

Today Charles Darwin is regarded as one of the most - if not the most - influential scientists of all time. Yet in his lifetime his radical new interpretation of evolution, based on the mechanism of natural selection, earned him as much antagonism as it did acclaim, and it was only after his death that his towering achievements received their fullest recognition.

Darwin: A Life in Science examines both the scientist and the science, putting one firmly in the context of the other. Remembered today above all as a biologist, Darwin first made his mark in science as a geologist and palaeontologist, and continued to have a wide-ranging scientific interests throughout his life. John Gribbin and Michael White brings us a revealing portrait of a man plagued by illness and personal tragedy, who was nonetheless driven despite all setbacks to pursue his scientific goals. At the same time they lucidly explain the enormous impact of his thinking on natural selection and evolution, bringing the reader up to date in terms of how Darwinism has shaped modern thought. [Back cover]

Michael White is the author of several books including the bestselling STEPHEN HAWKING: A LIFE IN SCIENCE and EINSTEIN: A LIFE IN SCIENCE, both with John Gribbin. He writes regularly for the DAILY TELEGRAPH, NEW SCIENTIST, FOCUS and GQ. He lives in London with his wife. Dr John Gribbin trained as an astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge before becoming a full-time science writer. He writes for NATURE, NEW SCIENTIST, THE TIMES, the GUARDIAN, the DAILY TELEGRAPH and the INDEPENDENT. Married with two sons he lives in East Sussex.