Charles Darwin: The Beagle Letters

Gripping first-hand account of Darwin's adventures during the Beagle voyage, illustrated with original watercolours by ship's artist Conrad Martens.

Frederick Burkhardt (Edited by)

9780521898386, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 September 2008

544 pages, 30 b/w illus. 12 colour illus.
25.3 x 18 x 3.3 cm, 1.27 kg

'… Francis Bacon … once said, 'Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested'. This one definitely belongs to the last category. Enjoy!' Lab Times

Charles Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle is a gripping adventure story, and a turning point in the making of the modern world. Brought together here in chronological order, the letters he wrote and received during his trip provide a first-hand account of a voyage of discovery that was as much personal as intellectual. We follow Darwin's adventures as he prepares for his travels, lands on his first tropical island, watches an earthquake level a city, and learns how to catch ostriches from a running horse. We witness slavery, political revolution, and epidemic disease, and share the otherworldly experience of landing on the Galapagos Islands and collecting specimens. His letters are counterpoised by replies from family and friends that record a comfortable, intimate world back in England. Original watercolours by the ship's artist Conrad Martens vividly bring to life Darwin's descriptions of his travels.

Introduction Janet Browne
About this book
Acknowledgements
Symbols and abbreviations
Timeline of the journey
THE BEAGLE LETTERS
Further reading
Letter locations
Notes on the illustrations
Brief biographies and index to correspondents
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Evolution [PSAJ]