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The Voyage of the Beagle
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The Voyage of the Beagle
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The Voyage of the Beagle
Ebook697 pages12 hours

The Voyage of the Beagle

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"The Voyage of the Beagle" is a title commonly given to the book written by Charles Darwin and published in 1839 as his "Journal and Remarks", bringing him considerable fame and respect. The title refers to the second survey expedition of the ship HMS Beagle, which set sail from Plymouth Sound on 27 December 1831 under the command of Captain Robert FitzRoy, R.N.. While the expedition was originally planned to last two years, it lasted almost five—the Beagle did not return until 2 October 1836. Darwin spent most of this time exploring on land (three years and three months on land; 18 months at sea). The book, also known as Darwin's "Journal of Researches", is a vivid and exciting travel memoir as well as a detailed scientific field journal covering biology, geology, and anthropology that demonstrates Darwin's keen powers of observation, written at a time when Western Europeans were exploring and charting the whole world. Although Darwin revisited some areas during the expedition, for clarity the chapters of the book are ordered by reference to places and locations rather than by date. Darwin's notes made during the voyage include comments illustrating his changing views at a time when he was developing his theory of evolution by natural selection and includes some suggestions of his ideas, particularly in the second edition of 1845.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 1, 2013
ISBN9781609770624
Author

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist and author best-known for his revolutionary theories on the origin of species, human evolution, and natural selection. A life-long interest in the natural world led Darwin to neglect his medical studies and instead embark on a five-year scientific voyage on the HMS Beagle, where he established his reputation as a geologist and gathered much of the evidence that fuelled his later theories. A prolific writer, Darwin’s most famous published works include The Voyage of the Beagle, On the Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals. Darwin died in 1882, and in recognition of his contributions to science, is buried in Westminster Abbey along with John Herschel and Isaac Newton.

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Rating: 4.444444444444445 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This biography about Charles Darwin would be a great addition to a collection of biographies in a classroom. It is very detailed so I would not use it in primary grades, but would be great in a unit on biographies in intermediate grades.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is Darwin's account of his famous voyage around the world, with particular focus, of course, on South America.He was a very young man when he made the journey, and his youthful enthusiasm, curiosity, and sense of wonder were contageous. His keen powers of observation also were manifest on every page.It is unfortunate that he was somewhat afflicted with the imperialistic, colonial attitudes of his time and culture, although he was perhaps a little more evolved, (pun intended), than most.Still, it was a great book! I loved it!The most memorable passage of the book, for me, is an iconic moment when Darwin describes jumping onto the back of a giant Gallapagos tortoise, giving it a whack on the backside, and going for a ride. It's such a perfect image, and so whimsical, how can you not love it?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a tremendous journal introduced by David Quammen. The language is current and the book is very readable.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the original version of The Voyage of the Beagle, the delightful story of Darwin's five-year journey. His descriptions of places, people, and events are lively and engaging, and at times there is a certain ruefulness to his narrative that is quite endearing. Certainly fun reading.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If you enjoy natural history, you'll find Darwin's account of his five-year journey around the globe in "The Voyage of the Beagle" both accessible and interesting. His trip is recounted in exhaustive detail -- which I found really enjoyable when he was writing about a subject I was interested in and somewhat tedious when he was talking about geology, which I don't much care for reading about. The most enjoyable part of the book was the account of Jemmy Button, York Minster and Fuegia Basket, natives of Tierra del Fuego who were brought to live in England and then brought back home, followed by accounts of South American animals and plants. (Having read "Uttermost Part of the Earth" previously, it was fun to see another account of their trip.) Overall, the book is a fascinating look at the early exploration that helped shape Darwin's theory of evolution.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very accessible and gripping diary. Darwin's kind and open character and seemingly infinite curiosity come across SO well. Some painful and relevant insights into early c19 attitudes to 'aboriginal' peoples and the destruction of societies and ecosystems.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    To me, Darwin's most interesting book for its vivid personal narration of first-hand experience. Note that it does not emphasize his visit to the Galapagos Islands as much as later accounts might lead one to expect.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I didn't even know it was an actual book you could read.Quite interesting.Our entire modern history is so recent: Darwin sailed on December 27, 1831 - just 174 years ago. The ship returned to England on October 2, 1836.It's interesting that a lot of people slag Darwin as some theorist, but he actually went more places and had more adventures in this one voyage than most people will in their entire lives.Brazil was still, from his account, basically empty, and slavery persisted in Brazilian plantations. Having travelled several days (from Rio de Janeiro as far as I can tell), he arrives at a fine estate"April 13th, 1832 - This profusion of food showed itself at dinner, where, if the tables did not groan, the guests surely did; for each person is expected to eat of every dish. One day, having, as I thought, nicely calculated so that nothing should go away untasted, to my utter dismay a roast turkey and a pig appeared in all their substantial reality. During the meals, it was the employment of a man to drive out of the room sundry old hounds, and dozens of little black children, which crawled in together, at every opportunity. As long as the idea of slavery could be banished, there was something exceedingly fascinating in this simple and patriarchal style of living; it was such a perfect retirement and independence from the rest of the world."Darwin has an insight into the future the next day"April 14th, 1832 - Considering the enormous area of Brazil, the proportion of cultivated ground can scarcely be considered as anything, compared to that which is left in the state of nature: at some future age, how vast a population it will support!"In 1830, the world population was approximately 1 billion (audubon.org).It is also in this period that John James Audubon is doing his great work The Birds of America. In 1833 The Audubon family returns to New York while Audubon and his son John travel to Labrador. (from John James Audubon Chronology)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The travelogue aspect of this book is what gains it the high rating. Otherwise the error that Darwin made that his observations about nature disproved the existence of a higher power, would have led me to slam the book! Evolution is just a part of the mysterious mechanism by which the universe (if you will), makes such magnificent and precious things possible (a small peak at the work of God in progress). I can view Darwin's error with equanimity; atheisim is not an uncommon misconception. (There have been and are quite a few brilliant minds who embraced Jesus Christ, such as Albert Einstein.)