The Beginner Books -- "Their cartoon format and irreverent wit make
difficult ideas accessible and entertaining."
-- Newsday
aking us through the upheavals in biological thought which made The
Origins of Species possible, Jonathan Miller introduces us to that odd
revolutionary, Charles Darwin -- a remarkably timid man who spent most
of his life in seclusion; a semi-invalid riddled with doubts, fearing
the controversy his theories might unleash; yet also the man who finally
undermined belief in God's creation. Along the way we meet a fascinating
cast of characters: Darwin's scientific predecessors, his contemporaries
(including Alfred Russell Wallace, whose anticipation of natural
selection forced Darwin to publish), his opponents, and his successors
whose work in modern genetics provided necessary modifications to
Darwin's own work.
Splendidly illustrated, this clever, witty, highly informative book is
the perfect introduction to Darwin's life and thought.