Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species

by Walter; Dr. J.W. Burrow (consultant); Edited By the Editors of Horizon Mag Karp

1963 NEW HARD TO FIND COLLECTIBLE HARDCOVER WITH MINOR SHELF LIFE WEAR.

Genres: Science, Natural History

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1968

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karp (b. 1934) was a political historian and long-form journalist; this volume, a distillation of the biographical record, written for middle schoolers, is non-technical, often based closely on Darwin's own autobiography, and lovingly illustrated. There's a sense in which the 1968 pub-date makes sense, for as Karp emphasizes: "Here was a truly radical thought, and it can be expressed very simply: Every species has room for improvement." Presumably improving the species is Karp's gloss on Darwin's great book's title phrase, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the The Preservation of the Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. Darwin will see "man's" race as the self-consciousness in his own favored status, or privilege, not entirely shared by all the species' living members. On this account, then, we all are improved by the civilized components, or members, of our "race," and this is what it means to Darwin for the "race" to be regarded as "improving." This is to take nothing away from Robert Fitzroy the missionary; nor the author of The Descent of Man's statement that "At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate, and replace, the savage races . . ." [and here Darwin has clearly in mind the Aborigine as well as the African]. There's this to add to Karp's "radical . . . improvement."

There are red flags all over this, in other words, though for middle schoolers, Karp isn't bringing these out. Instead the emphasis is on the privileged cohort a generation back of him who came out of WWII assuming they were improving things. Here is the Darwin I must have originally received, if it wasn't through Inherit the Wind. I have, then, some historical sympathy for Karp's abridgment.

[Karl Dennhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is remarkable to review the life and times of one of the greatest minds in history. The magnitude of this man’s theories has no equal.
It is sad to realize though that there are still people in this world today who do not understand the theory of evolution! Actually the numbers are probably staggering.

[Michelle Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short biography of Charles Darwin that covers his formulation of Natural Selection, his home life, details of the theory itself, and reactions to publication of On the Origin of Secies. It is not overwhelming in it's detail, length, or desire to provide historical Victorian context. A good read for laypersons, scientists, or students.

[David B. Kleiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. It turns out that while Darwin didn't entirely discover the process of evolution, he fleshed it out essentially proved it. He spent years answering every conceivable argument against his theory before publishing.