Diana Preston The Evolution of Charles Darwin : The Epic Voyage of the Beagle in White

From the Los Angeles Times Book Prizewinning historian, the colorful, dramatic story of Charles Darwins journey on HMS Beagle that inspired the evolutionary theories in his pathbreaking books On the Origin of Species and The Descent of ManWhen twentytwoyearold aspiring geologist Charles Darwin boarded HMS Beagle in 1831 with his microscopes and specimen bottlesinvited by ships captain Robert FitzRoy who wanted a travel companion at least as much as a ships naturalisthe hardly thought he was embarking on what would become perhaps the most important and epochchanging voyage in scientific history. Nonetheless, over the course of the fiveyear journey around the globe in often hard and hazardous conditions, Darwin would make observations and gather samples that would form the basis of his revolutionary theories about the origin of species and natural selection. Drawing on a rich range of revealing letters, diary entries, recollections of those who encountered him, and Darwins and FitzRoys own accounts of what transpired, Diana Preston chronicles the epic voyage as it unfolded, tracing Darwins growth from untested young man to accomplished adventurer and natural scientist in his own right. Darwin often left the ship to climb mountains, navigate rivers, or ride hundreds of miles, accompanied by local guides whose languages he barely understood, across pampas and through rainforests in search of further unique specimens. From the wilds of Patagonia to the Galaacutepagos and other... | Diana Preston The Evolution of Charles Darwin : The Epic Voyage of the Beagle in White