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1933 first edition thus, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, England), 6 3/4 x 9 3/8 inches tall green cloth hardcover, no dust jacket, gilt lettering to spine, xxx, 451 pp. plus two folded leaves of maps. Very slight soiling, rubbing and edgewear to covers. Ink 1934 prior owner name to top margin of blank front free-endpaper. Otherwise, a very good to near fine copy - clean, bright and unmarked - of this important first edition of Charles Darwin's granddaughter's edit of his diaries from The Voyage of the Beagle. ~SP24~ [3.0P] In 1933, Nora Barlow (1885-1989), Charles Darwin's granddaughter, edited and published this version of his diary from the HMS Beagle voyage. Barlow presents here a more complete and accurate transcription of Darwin's original journal, including previously deleted or altered passages. She aimed to reproduce the text as faithfully as possible, preserving Darwin's original style, including 'curious construction and hasty grammar.' Words added to clarify meaning were placed in square brackets, and redundant words were indicated with angled brackets. Longer deleted passages were included in rounded brackets. The introduction and notes provided context for the diary entries and explained her editorial approach. This edition was significant because it offered a more intimate and detailed look at Darwin's experiences during the voyage than the published 'Journal of Researches.' It also allowed readers to see Darwin's thought processes and observations as they unfolded, rather than in their later, more polished form. Beagle sailed from Plymouth Sound on December 27, 1831 under the command of Captain Robert FitzRoy. While the expedition was originally planned to last two years, it lasted almost five?Beagle did not return until 2 October 1836. Darwin spent most of this time exploring on land (three years and three months on land; 18 months at sea). The book is a vivid travel memoir as well as a detailed scientific field journal covering biology, geology, and anthropology that demonstrates Darwin's keen powers of observation, written at a time when Western Europeans were exploring and charting the whole world. Darwin's notes made during the voyage include comments hinting at his changing views on the fixity of species. On his return, he wrote the book based on these notes, at a time when he was first developing his theories of evolution through common descent and natural selection.
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