Darwin's Origin of Species: A Biography

by Janet Browne Narrated by Josephine Bailey

Overview

A sensation on its publication in 1859, The Origin of Species profoundly shocked Victorian readers by calling into question the belief in a Creator with its description of evolution through natural selection. And Darwin's seminal work is nearly as controversial today. In her illuminating study, award-winning biographer Janet Browne delves into the long genesis of Darwin's theories, from his readings as a university student and his five-year voyage on the Beagle, to his debates with contemporaries and experiments in his garden. She explores the shock to Darwin when he read of competing scientists' similar discoveries and the wide and immediate impact of Darwin's theories on the world. As one of the launch titles in the Atlantic Monthly Press's Books That Changed the World series, Browne's history takes readers inside The Origin of Species and shows why it can fairly claim to be the greatest science book ever published.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

It may seem peculiar to write a biography of a book, but Darwin's Origin of Species is certainly a worthy subject. A foremost Darwin biographer, Browne takes a straightforward approach to the life and times of this famous tome, beginning with Darwin's early years and journey around the world. She then explains how he developed his theory of evolution (a word that doesn't appear in the first edition) during his years as a country scientist. Darwin included an unusual chapter on things he couldn't yet explain with his theory. On publication, the book gained instant celebrity around the globe-even Queen Victoria took notice of it, though she mused that the book would be too difficult for her to understand. In her discussion of the storm the book aroused, Browne makes the fascinating point that Darwin highly respected his American friend Asa Gray, whose views were very similar to those of today's advocates of intelligent design. Browne's final chapter on the book's legacy isn't comprehensive, but it's a good summary of subsequent modifications to Darwin's theory. This excellent introduction is highly recommended for all readers who want to better understand the heated debates that this book still causes today. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Readers who might balk at embarking on Browne's grand, two-volume biography of naturalist Charles Darwin (Darwin: Voyaging and Darwin: The Power of Place) will find this thin book to be an inviting introduction by the expert herself. Browne, formerly a professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine, University College, London, brings her enthusiastically detailed research on the life and times of Darwin to bear on this volume, but she distills it to a treatment of the preparation, publication, and influence of his seminal 1859 book, The Origin of Species. One cannot help but imagine that this contribution to the publisher's "Books That Changed the World" series was relatively effortless for Browne following her massive Darwin biography. Nonetheless, in all of these books, among the things she succeeds in conveying best is not only the sense of what Darwin must have been like as a person but also the impact of his ideas on science and society. A good introductory book for public and academic libraries; highly recommended. [The most in-depth exhibit on Darwin to date will be on display at the Museum of Science, Boston, and the Field Museum, Chicago, between February 2007 and January 2008.-Ed.]-Walter L. Cressler, West Chester Univ. Lib., PA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Concise history of the paradigm-altering book. Browne (History of Medicine/University College London) considers On the Origin of Species the greatest science book ever published. The editor of Darwin's correspondence and author of a definitive two-volume biography (Charles Darwin, 1995 and 2002) would hardly think otherwise. Browne makes it clear that Darwin knew religious shock waves would reverberate from the idea of "transmutation" by natural selection (the word "evolution" was only later applied to Darwinism); that was why he spent decades garnering his facts and postponing publication. Then came the 1858 letter from Alfred Russel Wallace outlining his own account of natural selection, followed by hurried arrangements to credit both men in short papers read at the Royal Society, and by Darwin's rush into print. Browne retells these familiar events in the context of an increasingly industrial and capitalist society. (T.H. Huxley may have trounced Bishop Wilberforce in the famous "ape vs. angels" debate, but many biblical scholars had already abandoned literal interpretations of the Bible.) The author brings onstage a large cast of opinion-makers, including John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx and assorted poets and writers, to stir the air. Darwin stayed out of the limelight but remained very much in the picture through letters. Browne describes his later life and books, but focuses on the fate of evolutionary theory. Another fine entry in Atlantic's Books That Changed the World series (see P.J. O'Rourke's On the Wealth of Nations, Jan. 2007).

From the Publisher

"Highly recommended." ---Library Journal

AUG/SEP 07 - AudioFile

This brief book, written by the foremost biographer of Darwin, outlines the history of his landmark work, ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. Browne gives an overview of Darwin’s life, discusses how he wrote the book (and what influence he had from others), how it was received and debated in Victorian England, and the book’s legacy since its publication. Narrator Josephine Bailey reads with poise and aplomb, maintaining a didactic tone throughout. Her gentle, comforting British accent makes this an agreeable reading. However, when narrating quotes, she adopts a scratchy voice or lowers her voice in an attempt to sound more “masculine.” This detracts a bit from the overall character of the book. K.M. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171722487
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	03/24/2007
Series:	Books That Changed the World , #3
Edition description:	Unabridged

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