Charles Robert Darwin is best known for his theory of evolution, but there was a lot more to him than just that. He was an entomologist, a naturalist, a geologist, a paleontologist, a botanist, and quite possibly the single greatest scientist ever to grace the life sciences. His writings alone could fill a room: a score of books, hundreds of scientific papers, and thousands of letters to other scientists. I have only a few of his works, but even these few paint a picture of the man as he actually was.
CHARLES DARWIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Darwin, Charles
c.1961, Collier Books
ISBN:
ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES
Darwin, Charles
c.1963, The Heritage Press
ISBN:
Darwin's masterwork, of course: the book he's best known for, the one that made his reputation, the one that laid out his theory of evolution and started a controversy that continues today. ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES (usually called THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES) is a slow, careful, grindingly thorough exposition of Darwin's ideas on evolution and the evidence which led him to form those ideas. Today the ORIGIN is quite a fascinating read on multiple levels: first, as the founding book of the theory of evolution; second, as an example of Victorian-era science writing; third, as a tour of the state of scientific knowledge in the 1800s; and finally, as a look at how much biology has expanded its knowledge of Life past and present since Darwin wrote his book. Darwin edited and added to the ORIGIN over his life, resulting in six separate editions, the last of which was published only a few years before his death.
I actually have three copies of ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. One is a high-quality hardcover of the sixth and final edition from The Heritage Press, published to mark the centennial of the ORIGIN. The second is a reprint of the first (1859) edition. The third is a facsimile of the sixth edition which was printed in England in 1994 and then brought to the US a few years later. Amazon.com lists numerous versions in print, most of them based on either the first or sixth editions, including at least one mass market paperback. However, I recommend one of the trade-paper or hardcover printings simply because it's less intimidating and easier to read in that form. Darwin was a great scientist, but he was not a great writer by modern standards. His slow-moving prose isn't made any easier to read by the small print of a pocket paperback edition. In addition to all these printed editions, the ORIGIN is out of copyright, and an electronic version is available from Project Gutenberg.
STRUCTURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF CORAL REEFS
Darwin, Charles
University of California Press
ISBN:
This is a reprint of a book Darwin wrote in 1842, on his theory of formation of coral reefs and atolls. The theory proved so accurate that it passed every test and is still accepted in substantially the same form today. I think it's significant mainly because it shows Darwin's scientific mind at work, and shows clearly that he deserves a lot of credit for his work aside from his theory of evolution.
THE DESCENT OF MAN, AND SELECTION IN RELATION TO SEX
Darwin, Charles
c.1981, Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0-691-02369-7
A complete facsimile of the 1871 edition of Darwin's second book on his evolution theory. This book focuses on two different subjects: a short section on human evolution, and a longer section on what Darwin saw as the second major source of evolutionary pressure: sexual selection, the competition for mates. Like most of Darwin's works, this book is out of copyright, and an electronic version is available from Project Gutenberg.
THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE
Darwin, Charles
c.1937, P.F. Collier
ISBN:
In 1831, Darwin obtained a post as resident naturalist aboard the brig HMS Beagle. Over the next five years, Beagle conducted a series of detailed hydrographic surveys of various islands and coasts for the purpose of charting them. Her travels led her along both coasts of South America; to several island chains in the Pacific Ocean, including the Galapagos; to Australia; into the Indian Ocean; and eventually home by way of the Cape of Good Hope and the Azores. Darwin kept copious notes and journals during the voyage, including details of all his observations made on the voyage and some of the early results of analyzing his specimen collections.. After he came home, he collected these journals and published them as THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE. Since then, this book has become Darwin's second-best-known work. My copy is the version from the Harvard Classics Series, dated 1937, reprinted in 1969. Like most of Darwin's works, THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE is out of copyright, and an electronic version is available from Project Gutenberg.
