Customer Reviews

On the Origin of Species (Oxford World's Classics)

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Okay I am a bit embarrassed; how have I gotten to this age without having read this vital book? Well, I am a bit behind on my reading (the stack of books waiting to be read looks almost big enough to ski down), so when I saw this audiobook version of Darwin's classic, I could not resist. The original text (with original title, by the way: the word "On" later being dropped by Darwin), abridged and read by Professor Richard Dawkins: what could be better? Dawkins presents this material, about which he is quite passionate, and reads it in his always-pleasant, somewhat musical voice. This book--and I know this is cliche--should truly be read by everyone, and this is a very agreeable way to expose oneself to this brilliant material.

This is a quick review of the book not a dissertation on Darwin or any other subject loosely related. At first I did not know what to expect. I already read " The Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches" (see my review). I figured the book would be similar. However I found "Origin" to be more complex and detailed.

Taking in account that recent pieces of knowledge were not available to Charles Darwin this book could have been written last week. Having to look from the outside without the knowledge of DNA or Plate Tectonics, he pretty much nailed how the environment and crossbreeding would have an effect on natural selection. Speaking of natural selection, I thought his was going to be some great insight to a new concept. All it means is that species are not being mucked around by man (artificial selection).

If you picked up Time magazine today you would find all the things that Charles said would be near impossible to find or do. Yet he predicted that it is doable in theory. With an imperfect geological record many things he was not able to find at the writing of this book have been found (according to the possibilities described in the book.)

The only draw back to the book was his constant apologizing. If he had more time and space he could prove this and that. Or it looks like this but who can say at this time. Or the same evidence can be interpreted 180 degrees different.

In the end it is worth reading and you will never look at life the same way again.

I am not here reviewing the book, but rather the reading and abridging by Dawkins. I have just received this and although I have in the past read this material, it has now come to life as Richard Dawkins has done a splendid job.

Not only do I find his voice pleasing, his slight English accent (to an American) gives me the feeling that Darwin himself is speaking. Dawkins has spent a great deal of effort to emphasize words so that the intended meanings come across more clearly. It is a bit like the difference between a 2d movie and the same one in 3d.

The nearest comparison is to some of the works of the late Carl Sagan, who when reading aloud his own material was head and shoulders above anyone else who didn't really understand the material, but was simply reading it.

The only negative is that he speaks a bit too fast for me. However, I solved that by converting the files to mp3 and using my audio software to slow them down to 85% of original speed. I now am listening to these on my daily exercise walk via an mp3 player with shure sound isolating earphones. I expect to listen to some of it again and again, as it is still difficult to grasp all of it at once while busy watching where I am walking.

As to Darwin, it is refreshing to see how so much of his theory is backed up by first hand information. In this day of high tech, it seems all information is really 3rd, 4th, or Nth hand summaries of other peoples works. When Dawkins reads the part on the struggle for existence, you can actually visualize Darwin crawling around that fenced in plot of ground getting dirty as he measured the height of the plants (or trees) and counted the rings himself to determine how many years the cattle had been keeping the vegetation from growing.

And I find his prose to be almost poetic; reading it just doesn't have the same affect as hearing Dawkins speak it aloud. It's the feline population that keeps the mice down, allowing for more bees to pollinate the flowers. Not just cats eating mice. I didn't quote this exactly, but I think you get the idea.

In his, "On the Origin of Species", Charles Darwin presents the single most powerful and elegant theory in recorded human history. His writing is at times overly baroque and ornamented, with a period fondness for the passive voice. In no way does this diminish the power of his arguments, or of his explanatory powers. Nor should this suggest that Darwin is not a capable prose-stylist; he is at times transcendent, made so by the elegance of his logic, the sheer breadth of his observations, and the conclusion to which the evidence led him, and to which he leads the reader.
This particular edition has an excellent forward by William Bynum, who expertly (and succinctly) summarizes Darwin's life and the work's publication history. It benefits even more from an updated index, and added appendices containing biographical sketches and explanatory notes. The Damien Hirst painting on the cover is a bit unnecessary, but then hopefully the reader will not see a great deal of this book's cover, anyway.

I'm in the process of reading The Origin of Species (on chapter 11), but this review is for the abridged audiobook read by Richard Dawkins.

I am someone who usually hates the idea of an abridged book (or audio book), but I listened to this before diving into the actual text (and I actually think its better than the actual book). I would estimate that the audio book has maybe 30-40% of the book cut out, but at the same time I actually think listening to it shortened is a better experience. Darwin definitely didn't seem to rush out and publish his views and the book is full of long winded details of various experiments and theories on evolution by means of natural selection. He seems to anticipate every possible question and had experimented on many of the questions (expect an entire chapter on all of the seeds he put in the ocean and then later tried to germinate). The only problem with this is, the unabridged version of the book often times gets lost in the long prose and sometimes isn't very interesting. Furthermore some sections are outdated by more current knowledge (he spends a whole chapter trying to figure out why different species can't cross fertilize whereas currently knowledge in DNA clears this up). Dawkins cuts many of the incorrect parts out and in other times he'll insert an editors note informing us of the newer ideas.

Even though with the audio cd though Dawkins cuts some of the text out (which might not be a minus), Dawkins' English ascent seems to go perfectly with the Victorian prose. I'd recommend starting with something like this and if you still want more then go to the complete text. If you're trying to learn about evolution remember while this book is important, its 150 years old and current evolution books are where you should start.

Charles Darwin changed the world when he wrote "On the Origin of Species". He is, without a doubt, one of the most infuential people in human history, and his thoughts have helped shape the world we live in today. Whether you believe in evolution or not, every well informed person should know and understand Darwin's arguments for transmutations of species. This book is remarkable for its lasting influence on the current worldview of those who believe in science.

I recommend this book to anyone with an analytical approach to science who cares to learn more about evolution and the theory of evolution. Although for certain individuals the book may be dry and long-winded, the final verdict is favorable and the book is generally well liked. It took me a while to get through it - what with classes, work, and perpetual studying - but when I did finish the work, I felt I had a firmer grasp on the subject. Anyone interested in the field of Biology (including medicine) should read this book at some point in their academic career. I also recommend individuals who disagree with or effectually negate the theory of evolution read this volume before continuing their persecution of it.

This is a great book if for no other reason than that his theory about Natural Selection and a single source parent became to be accepted by Biologist (with only minor changes) many years later. A remarkable achievement.

I downloaded the free version of "Origin," but got this one because it was only $2.99 and illustrated. The main reason I bought it was for the pictures because Darwin's extensive book covers so many animals and flowers that I wasn't actually sure which he was talking about for his examples. I'm not that much into botany, and am mostly familiar with either American or zoo animals so some of the Terra del Fuego or New Zealand examples were a little lost on me. This version contains over 250 pictures and illustrations that give a better understanding of the topics covered at hand. However, a great deal of the pictures were either of famous men (scientists, naturalists, etc.) and/or landscape shots. And of course, since this is a Kindle they are all in black and white, which normally wouldn't bother me (I knew what I was getting into when I ordered the Kindle, and I still love it), but most of the pictures are obviously color because the B&W contrast often makes it difficult to see the photo's subject clearly. And since so many of these pictures were not plants and animals, but people and landscapes, the whole "illustrated experience" of "Origin" is lacking. BTW, although not stated in this book, this version appears to be the Sixth Edition, which I found a little smoother to read than the free public domain First Edition of "Origin". Overall, a great purchase and well worth the price.

Hands down one of the most influential, controversial, and profound book to be written probably since the bible. The Research done by Charles Darwin in the mid-nineteenth century was astounding. And here recounts his findings as he builds the first case for the theory of evolution. The idea that we have evolved slowly over an extremely long period of time from single celled organisms to primates to Neanderthals to the species of Homo sapiens we see today.
At its core it reads a lot like a textbook and I am not surprised with what has been hailed as a great work, thanks to the number of pages Charles Darwin wrote, (nearly 500) on a fairly new subject that it gets and deserves the credit. I liked the book for the shear fact that a lot of modern science and theories are based off his findings. Without this book who knows where we would be in human development over the last one hundred and fifty years? If you are not okay with spending time with a book of such density in terms of material than steer clear. But if you want to really see the origins of modern science and have a new view on a creation theory pick up the book.
This is the type of book that deserves a seat in any library. It is tool and tome for some. Its influence has stood the test of time is something we are going to reference for a long tome to come. But if you are not so interested in science and have only heard of the book don't waste your time. If you can plow through the scientific jargon and writings of someone from the eighteen hundreds then by all means buy a copy and see what all the talk has been about for the least century and a half!