Charles Darwin

  (out of 5 stars)

Having found that I'm hopelessly addicted to popular science books, especially those dealing with evolution, natural selection, and other wonders of biology, I promised myself that I'd pick up this foundational classic at some point. So much of what I had known previously about Origin was from reading the works of Dawkins, Quammen, and others, and I felt it was vitally important to take up Darwin's masterpiece and see for myself what he had to say. It is quite safe to say it was an excellent decision, and Origin stands up just as well in 2009 as it did when it was published 150 years ago.

Darwin's enthusiasm for the natural world comes through strongly on every page. I can easily imagine him sitting in his workshop, encouraging me, the reader, to see what he sees, to notice the details he explains with such passion. And he does not skip the scientific data. Darwin's arguments are strongly based on observation, experimentation, and an amazing convergence of multiple disciplines. Throughout the book, the reader feels he might be sitting in a room while Darwin leads a fascinating exhibition with the help of eminent biologists, zoologists, geologists, anthropologists, naturalists, and others.

I especially loved reading Darwin's original words dealing with biogeography and the migration of life. It is stunning just how prescient he was in so many things which he admits freely are greatly educated guesses. Sure, there are places where his thoughts were later shown incomplete or erroneous, but the vast bulk of his thoughts showed keen insight that often took many decades of research to prove correct. Darwin was quite literally one of the very few fundamental thinkers to ever risk putting his thoughts into writing, and his work is even more impressive given how little was known about genetics at the time by anyone but the largely-unknown Gregor Mendel.

While the book is quite dense at times, it is well worth the reader's effort to push through and experience this book's amazing insights. Darwin's enthusiasm is infective, and I think any reader of science who is interested in reading the classics should take the time to read and enjoy this groundbreaking and fascinating work. Five big stars.

  (out of 5 stars)

I picked up this book hoping to learn a quick history of the life and thoughts of Charles Darwin, and I got a lot more than that. Author David Quammen picks up the story of Darwin's life after returning from his long voyage on the Beagle, referring the reader to more substantial works for more on those experiences. Following Darwin's return, Quammen offers a brilliant and engaging biography worthy of a read by any popular science reader.

Picking up the story after the Beagle, Quammen follow's Darwin's thoughts and work, largely through Darwin's own notebooks and his correspondences with friends and collegues. The book thoroughly humanizes the often-demonized scientist, and offers a highly refreshing 'intimate portrait' of a complex man. Darwin's biology work, which often focused on pigeons and barnacles, was brought to life through Quammen's excellent and concise narrative. The reader gets to enjoy the science while still engaging in an exceptional biography.

The final days prior to Darwin's publication of Origin are especially interesting, as the reader gets to see the inner struggles of a man about to unknowingly blow the lid off of man's understanding of himself.

Quammen is an excellent writer, and makes it clear that he understands his subjects (both Darwin and evolution) while presenting a story as engaging for its humanity as it is for its science. Highly recommended to a wide audience, four and one-half stars.