The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Charles Darwin (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 28, 2009 | Series: Penguin Classics

The most popular of Darwin's books during his lifetime, in a beautifully illustrated new edition

Featuring dozens of color photographs from Darwin's original publication, this edition-issued to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth-makes this classic study newly accessible to modern readers. Published in 1872, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals was a book at the very heart of Darwin's research interests. Darwin's main goal was to demonstrate the power of his theories for explaining the origin of our most cherished human qualities, morality and intellect. The work engages some of the hardest questions in the evolution debate, and it shows the ever-cautious Darwin at his boldest.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" He who admits, on general grounds, that the structure and habits of all animals have been gradually evolved will look at the whole subject of Expression in a new and interesting light."
-Charles Darwin

About the Author

Charles Darwin was born in 1809 to an upper-middle-class medical family. He was destined for a career in either medicine or the Anglican Church but never completed his medical studies: his future changed entirely in 1831 when he joined HMS Beagle as a naturalist. On returning to England in 1836 he began to write up his theories and observations which culminated in a series of books, most famously On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. He died in 1882 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Joe Cain is Senior Lecturer in History and Philosophy of Biology at University College London (UCL). His expertise is in the history of evolutionary studies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Darwin and historical memory.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; Original edition (July 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141439440
• ISBN-13: 978-0141439440
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars DARWIN'S FOLLOW-UP TO "THE DESCENT OF MAN" December 9, 2009

By Steven H. Propp TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

This book was written by Charles Darwin and published in 1872, and deals with how both humans and animals express emotions. It contains material that he gathered while writing his book on human evolution, The Descent of Man: The Concise Edition.

He states early on in the book, "No doubt as long as man and all other animals are viewed as independent creations, an effectual stop is put to our natural desire to investigate as far as possible the causes of Expression ... He who admits on general grounds that the structure and habits of all animals have been gradually evolved, will look at the subject of Expression in a new and interesting light."

He articulates three general principles which "throw light on the theory of the subject," namely, "The principle of serviceable associated Habits," "The principle of Antithesis," and "The principle of actions due to the constitution of the Nervous System."

Many of Darwin's observations are interesting, such as:

"(T)he essence of savagery seems to consist in the retention of a primordial condition, and this occasionally holds good even with bodily pecularities."

"The expression here considered, whether that of a playful sneer or ferocious snarl, is one of the most curious which occurs in man. It reveals his animal descent..."

"Blushing is the most peculiar and the most human of all expressions."

This book will interest students of Darwin, and of the development of evolutionary theory.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A basic component of the Darwinian trylogy! May 20, 2011

By Hiram Gomez Pardo HALL OF FAME

Format:Paperback

Published in 1872, this book conforms together with "On the origin of species" (1858) and "The descent of man" (1871) a primordial text of huge value. Its scientific importance resides in showing the genetical aspects determined with behaviour.

Darwin makes an impressive journey around the body language, instincts, facial expressions and how they interelate themselves into the semiotic lexicon. In this sense, C.D preceeds by far the complex universe of behavioural psychology, paving the way for the whole development of this fascinating scientific discipline.

Darwin points to a shared human and animal ancestry in sharp contrast to the arguments deployed in Charles Bell's Anatomy and Philosophy of Expression (1824) which claimed that there were divinely created human muscles to express uniquely human feelings. Bell's famous aphorism on the subject was: "expression is to the passions as language is to thought".

You shouldn't miss this erudite, captivating and revealing book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Darwin the master observer December 18, 2012

By Primo Rodriguez Perez

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a book to read slowly,Darwin invested his whole life to observation of our world and the creatures that inhabit it including us. Expresion of emotions is a excellent way to see those things that are second nature to us in a different ligth. Read it and the next time you see a child laugh or cry it will be in another perspective. I am a lawyer and this book has iluminated thoughts on why we take demeanor so seriously. It also has the finest description,and foundation for a defense against any type of torture. You cant go wrong with Penguin Classics.