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Darwin

the Life of a Tormented Evolutionist
Jan 20, 2013sess430 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I loved this 667 page dense book, although it was very challenging to read. I almost gave up until I reached pg. 115 where the recounting of his 5 yr. amazing voyage (1831-36) on the HMS Beagle begins, after which, I was hooked. For me, these are just some of the book's high points: the clever humorous metaphors; the descriptions of his many off-beat experiments; understanding Darwin's 19th century milieu & how it influenced his thinking; and learning about his family and associates ~ inc. over 90 photos. The fact that he formed his theory by abt. 1839 (not published until 1859) without the advantage of much later discoveries ~ such as age-dating artifacts, knowledge of DNA and the finds of ancient human fossils~ is astonishing!