Buy used:
$7.80
$21.07 delivery August 16 - September 9. Details
Used: Acceptable | Details
Sold by ThriftBooks-Phoenix
Condition: Used: Acceptable
Comment: Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Other sellers on Amazon
New & Used (12) from   $3.99
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Alan Moorehead
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Darwin and the Beagle Paperback – January 1, 1969

by Alan Moorehead (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
See all formats and editions
An account of Darwin's five-year expedition, as a naturalist on board HMS Beagle, illustrated from contemporary sources
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    280 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harper & Row, Publishers
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1969
  5. ISBN-10
    0060130172
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0060130176
  7. See all details
Next slide of product details

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper & Row, Publishers; First Edition (January 1, 1969)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060130172
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060130176
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.35 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Alan Moorehead

Alan Moorehead

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
37 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

shep
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful classic book
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
Alan Moorehead's writing is superb. Clear, easy to read, and beautifully written. The book is lavishly illustrated with contemporary (1830's) drawings and paintings. These add immeasurably to the pleasure of reading and to a full comprehension of the voyage. It really gives the feel of the trip as well as focusing on how Darwin developed during this supremely important five-year expedition.
There is only modest focus on the theory of evolution until the final chapter; more on Darwin's initial ideas on the voyage itself, as he encountered the geology and wildlife. Yes, the geology was an important early influence on his realization that the earth had evolved over the ages.
Not a substitute for reading about the theory of evolution, but a magnificent scene-setter for the origins of the theory.
A classic.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Robert F. Ritchie
5.0 out of 5 stars Darwin and the Beagle
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2008
Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful account of how the mind of a gifted man developed the view of a basic truth which we now recognize as fact. How he saw and questioned, over and over, the hypothesis that all things grew from prior beings and not as the faith-based tale of Creation proposed. Unlike many of the men of his time, he could not avoid the obvious when all observations were put to the test of dissent and discussion.

Heavy reading, at times, it should be required reading for all thinking people.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Donald Mitchell
3.0 out of 5 stars Valuable Background on How Darwin Became a Scientist
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2001
Many people know more about Charles Darwin's hypothesis about the origin of species than about how he arrived at his conclusions. Unless you are a devoted scientist, you will probably never read his book, The Origin of Species, his journals, or his autobiography. Alan Moorehead has done a valuable service in providing an entertaining popular introduction to Darwin's work in this book (available now as an audio cassette).
Darwin's life is full of ironies, which are nicely developed in this book. His grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was a well-known physician who espoused some elementary ideas about biological evolution. Is finding evolution a heritable trait?
Charles Darwin had been a poor student, and seemed only competent to become a country curate.
The position of naturalist on the Beagle was cooked up because the captain was subject to mental illness, and hoped the companionship of another educated person would help him keep his senses.
Darwin initially turned the job down because his father was opposed, and was only able to persuade his father to let him pursue this when a relative aggressively intervened.
Darwin's main qualification for the position was that his family could afford the 500 pounds it would cost to be on the voyage while conducting this unpaid position.
Also, Darwin got horribly sea sick, which meant that he sought out opportunities to be on land as much as possible (this was fortunate for the future of biology).
Finally, Darwin was a believer in strict creationism when he started the voyage. He saw his job, in part, as finding evidence for Noah's flood.
The voyage of the Beagle lasted five years, and involved circumnavigating the globe. The primary purpose of the Beagle's trip was to map coastlines for the admiralty.
Most people know about Darwin's finches (whose beaks developed in different ways in various islands in the Galapagos to reflect the local food supplies), but do not realize that he only spent a few days in the Galapagos.
He had many other important experiences in South America and on other Pacific islands that led him to appreciate how geological processes of mountain building and ocean depressing impacted species. The fossils he found in Uraguay and Argentina of extinct animals began to undermine his belief in the literal meaning of the Bible on these points. Finding other fossils from ocean creatures at 12,000 feet high in the Andes further stretched his mind. Seeing extreme volcanic action and the effects of tidal waves in Chile added to the picture.
This material would be ideal for a young person trying to find what interests them. It will encourage the idea of being open to new experiences, and learning from what you observe. Many young people would like scientific careers if they ever tried one. High school and college science classes give an incomplete and poor impression of what working in science is all about. This book nicely captures the excitement of field work and trying to figure out what the data mean.
I graded the book down for being too popularized and a little too repetitive. Readers can absorb more substantive information than Mr. Moorehead included here.
A good way to apply what you learn in this book is to observe a group of animals over time. Take notes on what you see. Find a way to determine patterns from your notes. Then consider reasons why these behaviors could be beneficial to the animals. Then ask yourself what genetic and behavioral influences may bear on this behavior. You have now created a hypothesis. How can it be tested?
An excellent book about our modern understanding of Darwin's work can be found in The Beak of the Finch, which is the first published work on how natural selection works in practice from observing many generations of Darwin's finches.
Be open to all that is around you . . . to get the most out of life!
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Christy S. Schultz
5.0 out of 5 stars incredibly good
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
The adventure of a lifetime! Sail with Charles Darwin aboard the Beagle! Fully illustrated and an excellent adventure!
Helpful
 Report
Rogananda
5.0 out of 5 stars Great maps and pictures from Darwin's time.
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
The used hard-back edition of Darwin and the Beagle is amazing. I got two. One had taped in information from decades ago. The book has drawings and maps from Darwin's voyage and time. The Beagle's five year trip surprised me in many ways. Moorhead did his best in this short book.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Nancy D. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Darwin and the Beagle
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2009
Verified Purchase
I bought this as a gift for my husband since we plan to go to the Galapagos next summer. He loved the book although he said he had to wait until he was two thirds done to get to the part on the Galapagos.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
William D. Fusfield
4.0 out of 5 stars Stylistically out of date, but still well worth reading and owning.
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2008
Verified Purchase
This is an edited edition of Darwin's "Voyage of the HMS Beagle." A good bit of the original text is left out. But one still gets most of the story and the illustrations help several episodes come to life. It would be an especially good book to give to a child, tween or teen who is interested in Darwin or science in general, but who probably wouldn't have the patience to wade through all his 19th Century prose. I only wish someone would put out a TRUE Annotated version of Darwin's original text, and do it in the much more reader friendly style of coffee-table books today. Now that would be well worth reading, discussing and generally enjoying! There are at least five different English language "Annotated Walden's" on the market, -- tho' oddly not a single one of "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" -- so surely this classic first work of science and literature by Thoreau's equally famous contemporary, -- a work Thoreau clearly loved and even cites in Walden, -- deserves at least a single annotated edition of its own to gratify all the latter-day, armchair "natural historians" our nature-obsessed age has produced.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Zoe Goorman
5.0 out of 5 stars & it's still good!
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2014
Verified Purchase
I read this book to my kids decades ago, & it's still good!
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars With enough data and an open mind revolutionary breakthroughs can be made.
Reviewed in Canada on June 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
Good coverage on interesting places around the world plus explaining how gathering and analyzing a large data base can revolutionize scientific concepts.
Report
APR
5.0 out of 5 stars Darwin and the Beagle
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2009
Verified Purchase
Excellent, readable book which I shall treasure and keep. It supplemented and confirmed the excellent novel "This thing of darkness", by Harry Thompson, which I also found riveting and which spurred me to read more about Darwin, to appreciate Fitzroy and to enjoy the recent TV programmes celebrating them both.
3 people found this helpful
 Report
Lily Trelispen
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
Really interesting read and an easy, entertaining book.
Report
D. Hage
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
as promised
Report