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Darwin Compendium: Voyage of the Beagle, Origin of the Species, Descent of Man and Selection in Rela

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I'm sure that most people know who Charles Darwin was. For those who don't know who was, or don't know to much about him, I'll sum up who he was in six words: the father of modern evolutionary thought. Not much more really needs to be said, but for the sake of those who don't know, I'll elaborate (with the help of wikipedia) just a bit.

"He was a prolific author, and even without publication of his works on evolution would have had a considerable reputation as the author of The Voyage of the Beagle, as a geologist who had published extensively on South America and had solved the puzzle of the formation of coral atolls, and as a biologist who had published the definitive work on barnacles. While The Origin of Species dominates perceptions of his work, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals had considerable impact, and his books on plants including The Power of Movement in Plants were innovative studies of great importance, as was his final work on The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms." (Balfour 1882, Van Wyhe 2006)

For those who aren't so familiar with his works, I'll give you a very brief synopsis of each one published in this one volume edition, which is taken from the inside flaps of the book.

In "The Voyage of the Beagle" (1839), a young Darwin travels to the Galapagos Islands, where the diversity of finches and iguanas leads him to hypothosize that living organisms changes over time.

"The Origin of Species" (1859), Darwin's most clebrated work, states that natural selection - the theory of survival of the fittest - resulted in the wide variety of life on earth.

"The Descent of Man" (1871)argues that there is considerable evidence that humans are part of the animal kingdom and have been created according to the same natural laws that produced all other life on earth.

To further his thesis of humans as part of the natural world, Darwin published "The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals" (1872). In this work he argued that facial expressions in humans are complez forms of communication performed by intricate musculature that is the result of evolutionary processes.

In 1876, after years of insults and praise over his theories about the world, Charles Darwin took stock of his own life and wrote, "Autobiography of Charles Darwin".

Overall, this volume is packed with information - it's a must have for anyone. Whether you are a Darwin scholar, a lover of science, or just a normal layman interested in science/Darwin/evolution/etc., this is the book for you. Remember, Darwin did not write these books for scientists only. He wrote them for the normal layman as well!

Also, the print is very nice, which enhances the read!

A definite A+!!!!!

From the time of the earliest recorded history until the late 19th Century, people wondered about the origins of life on earth. The generally held view for much of that time was that a supernatural being created the earth and all of the diverse forms of life. One of the most popular explanations had all of this occurring in one week. Charles Darwin travelled widely, explored many facts of biology, and became the leading exponent of the idea that geology and biology slowly evolved over eons. Those adhering to the classic view came to be called "creationists" while the followers of the new view were called "evolutionists" or "Darwinians." The late 20th and early 21st centuries have witnessed a revival of the conflict between these contenders in the marketplace of truth. The proper preparation for egaging in that debate is to read the original arguments. Thus Barnes and Noble have provided this compendium of the five major works of Darwin. It makes a hefty book of 1874 pages, preceded by 29 pages of introduction by Dr. Brian Regal, who teaches the history of science. Darwin was a keen observer,a thoughtful analyst, and an interesting writer. It's a lot to wade through, but it is far more interesting reading than typical scientific textbooks.