Darwin's Mentor: John Stevens Henslow, 1796–1861

by S. M. Walters, E. A. Stow, Patrick Bateson (Foreword)

John Stevens Henslow is known for his formative influence on Charles Darwin, who described their meeting as the one circumstance "which influenced my career more than any other." A Professor of Botany at Cambridge University, Henslow was Darwin's teacher and eventual life-long friend, but what of the man himself? In this new biography, much previously unpublished material has been carefully gathered to produce a rounded picture of a remarkable academic and Victorian philanthropist. The time in 1829-31, when Darwin "walked with Henslow" in and around Cambridge, was followed directly by Darwin's voyage around the world. The gradually changing relationship between teacher and pupil over the course of time is revealed through their correspondence, illuminating a remarkable friendship that persisted, in spite of Darwin's eventual atheism and Henslow's never-failing liberal Christian belief, to the end of Henslow's life.

Hardcover

First published September 13, 2001

Reviews

[Adam Tierney-Eliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really should give this a 3.5 for the simple reason that Henslow--while a respected, charismatic, and influential scientist/clergy person--was also the sort of person whose actual life was rather mundane. That said, the book opens a window into a time of new ideas and possibilities. Good book. But good on small doses...