Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It Wasn't Just Darwin, August 14, 2001
Everyone has heard of evolution, and everyone has heard of Charles Darwin. Indeed, evolution is sometimes called Darwinism. 143 years after papers on the Theory of Evolution were first published, however, relatively few people know that Darwin was a co-discoverer of the theory. Independently, Alfred Russel Wallace had come up with it, and their papers were announced together. Wallace fully deserves as much credit for the theory as Darwin, but will never get it because of Darwin's more voluminous writings on the subject. Nonetheless, as a scientist and as a participant in one of the great dramas of science, Wallace deserves to be better known, and there is now the first biography of him in 20 years, _Alfred Russel Wallace: A Life_ (Princeton University Press) by Peter Raby, a full and fascinating book which tells plenty about Wallace, Darwin, and their theory.Comparisons to Darwin run throughout the book, quite naturally. Darwin's background was such that he never had to worry much about getting an education or earning a living. Wallace was the son of an attorney who fared poorly, and throughout his life had to fret about money. His formal schooling ended at age 14, and he eventually took up as a professional collector, selling prized specimens from the Amazon and the Malay Archipelago to museums and armchair naturalists. His explorations enabled him to view island species and boundaries, and in 1858, recovering from Malaria, he had his inspiration of survival of the fittest. He wrote from Malay to Darwin a paper about his ideas. Darwin was startled. He could not honorably publish his ideas, now that Wallace had come up with them independently, but he also did not want to lose the prize of his years of work on what turned out to be the backbone of biology. Darwin conscientiously discussed the matter with his friends, and a thoroughly decent decision was made of jointly publishing the Wallace and Darwin papers. Wallace never wavered in his admiration for the work Darwin had done, and never was jealous that even in his lifetime, Darwin got the credit for the theory. Wallace may have undermined his fame by his insistence on spiritualism, and by deeply humane political convictions on such things as land reform, women's rights, and British imperialism. He had come up with the idea of survival of the fittest, but he championed the causes of the underprivileged in Wales as well as in Papua New Guinea. This fine biography tells a great story of a nearly-forgotten scientist and an original and caring human being.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Disappointing Life, January 20, 2002
By A Customer
The blurb from Janet Browne on the cover is misleading. Raby's life of Wallace compares poorly with her lively and insightful biography of Charles Darwin. This is a detailed chronology of Wallace's life, but reveals little of the inner man. Raby is not a scientist, and he fails to put Wallace's ideas into historical context or to clarify the subtle differences between his work and Darwin's. Worth reading if you know nothing about Wallace, but not the definitive work. Janet Browne should take this on if she ever finishes volume two of Darwin's life.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An informative overview, July 3, 2003
Victorian Britain was a time of exploration, industrial advance, social and political experiments and scientific speculation. Although many key figures appeared, few covered so many elements of this dynamic as did Alfred Russell Wallace. From almost desparately poor beginnings, Wallace became a dedicated explorer and specimen collector. Raby's sympathetic portrayal of this complex character is a good introduction. Wallace travelled and collected far more widely than did his contemporary Charles Darwin. That both developed the same concept, evolution of species by natural selection, was the result of keen powers of observation. Wallace's wide-spread interests took his attention into areas Darwin either ignored or avoided. Unlike the retiring Darwin, Wallace was at the forefront of many issues, speaking and writing on many issues. Some of these, as Raby carefully recounts, led him into difficulties, both financial and intellectual.Raby traces the development of a man who almost beggars analysis. Wallace's life was dogged by near penury due to family commitments and lack of regular employment. His decision to explore the upper Amazon basin was almost an act of desparation, but it led to a lifelong interest in nature and "primitive" people. Overcoming the loss of four years of exploration and study, he recovered deftly with a long-term examination of the East Indies archipelago. Early flirtations with socialist ideals gave him a more sympathetic view of indigenous people than the average Victorian Briton. He adopted a strong sense of independence from authoritarian measures, leading him to oppose land enclosures and vaccination, which he saw as doing more harm than good. The great issue in his later years was spiritualism. This last proved a stumbling block to his scientific ambitions. Although many authors disparage this interest as demeaning, in Raby's view it is simply another aspect of Wallace's probing intellect. The primary concern with Wallace remains his co-authorship of evolution by natural selection. Darwin's insight occupied his thinking for two decades while he considered evidence. Wallace had been considering the issue for several years, finally synthesising his ideas during confinement from a malarial attack. Wallace never disputed Darwin's priority nor his superiority as a scientific genius, although recent historians have taken up his "cause" in an attempt to erode Darwin's reputation. Raby examines these claims in some detail, either refuting them or questioning the validity of the evidence. Wallace diverged from Darwin's version of natural selection in some details, most notably over human evolution. In line with his spiritualism, Wallace insisted the human mind could not be an adaptation and must be the result of influence by a "higher power". He wasn't alone in that view either then or now. Raby's examination of the life of another "tormented evolutionist" is an engaging read and fluent introduction to this charismatic figure. With his long life encompassing an era of many new ideas, Wallace doesn't stand out in the history of science nearly as much as is his due. This book goes far in restoring his image. Raby's prose style is clear and expressive without descending into unnecessary adulation of his subject. The greatest lack is in his failure to place Wallace more fully in the context of his times. Since that would cover the whole of the Victorian era and beyond, we may forgive this curtailment. There are, after all, numerous works providing that overview. A valuable summary for the reader interested in exploration, natural science and Victorian personalities. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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