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Evolution

Selected Letters of Charles Darwin 1860–1870

Samantha Evans editor Frederick Burkhardt editor Alison M Pearn editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:24th Apr '08

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Evolution cover

Explore Darwin's world in a unique, first hand account through his letters, many of which have never been published before.

A unique piece of publishing containing letters written to and by Darwin, charting his struggle to have his theories accepted. With a Foreword by Sir David Attenborough and incorporating previously unpublished material, readers experience a first-hand insight into some of the most intense and productive years of Darwin's life.Charles Darwin is a towering figure in the history of science, who changed the direction of modern thought by establishing the basis of evolutionary biology. With a Foreword by Sir David Attenborough, this is a fascinating insight into Darwin's life as he first directly addressed the issues of humanity's place in nature, and the consequences of his ideas for religious belief. Incorporating previously unpublished material, this volume includes letters written by Darwin, and also those written to him by friends and scientific colleagues world-wide, by critics who tried to stamp out his ideas, and admirers who helped them to spread. They take up the story of Darwin's life in 1860, in the immediate aftermath of the publication of On the Origin of Species, and carry it through one of the most intense and productive decades of his career, to the eve of publication of Descent of Man in 1871.

'… the letters remind us of the sheer brilliance of the man … Darwin commented that 'If any man wants to gain a good opinion of his fellow men, he ought to do what I am doing, pester them with letters'. The judicious choice of letters presented … reveal the truth of Darwin's statement, as his personality and trains of thought are revealed. His geniality, thoroughness and tenacity as he progressed as a scientist also shine through. Furthermore the letters offer a wider insight into the development of science at a key moment in history. … highly recommended.' Biologist

ISBN: 9780521874120

Dimensions: 235mm x 160mm x 20mm

Weight: 690g

336 pages