The Evolution of Charles Darwin: The Epic Voyage of the Beagle That Forever Changed Our View of Life on Earth

by Diana Preston

From the Los Angeles Times Book Prize–winning historian, the colorful, dramatic story of Charles Darwin’s journey on HMS Beagle that inspired the evolutionary theories in his path-breaking books On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man When twenty-two-year-old aspiring geologist Charles Darwin boarded HMS Beagle in 1831 with his microscopes and specimen bottles—invited by ship’s captain Robert FitzRoy who wanted a travel companion at least as much as a ship’s naturalist—he hardly thought he was embarking on what would become perhaps the most important and epoch-changing voyage in scientific history. Nonetheless, over the course of the five-year journey around the globe in often hard and hazardous conditions, Darwin would make observations and gather samples that would form the basis of his revolutionary theories about the origin of species and natural selection. Drawing on a rich range of revealing letters, diary entries, recollections of those who encountered him, and Darwin’s and FitzRoy’s own accounts of what transpired, Diana Preston chronicles the epic voyage as it unfolded, tracing Darwin’s growth from untested young man to accomplished adventurer and natural scientist in his own right. Darwin often left the ship to climb mountains, navigate rivers, or ride hundreds of miles, accompanied by local guides whose languages he barely understood, across pampas and through rainforests in search of further unique specimens. From the wilds of Patagonia to the Galápagos and other Atlantic and Pacific islands, as Preston vibrantly relates, Darwin collected and contrasted volcanic rocks and fossils large and small, witnessed an earthquake, and encountered the Argentinian rhea, Falklands fox, and Galápagos finch, through which he began to discern connections between deep past and present. Darwin never left Britain again after his return in 1836, though his mind journeyed far and wide to develop the theories that were first revealed, after great delay and with trepidation about their reception, in 1859 with the publication of his epochal book  On the Origin of Species . Offering a unique portrait of one of history’s most consequential figures,  The Evolution of Charles Darwin  is a vital contribution to our understanding of life on Earth.

Genres: History, Science, Nonfiction, Biography, Evolution, Travel, Nature

512 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2022

About the author

Born and raised in London, Diana Preston studied Modern History at Oxford University, where she first became involved in journalism. After earning her degree, she became a freelance writer of feature and travel articles for national UK newspapers and magazines and has subsequently reviewed books for a number of publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times. She has also been a broadcaster for the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and has been featured in various television documentaries.

Eight years ago, her decision to write "popular" history led her to The Road to Culloden Moor: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the '45 Rebellion (Constable UK, 1995). It was followed by A First Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole (Houghton Mifflin, 1998), The Boxer Rebellion (Walker & Company, 2000), Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy (Walker & Company, 2002) and now, Before The Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima.

In choosing her topics, Preston looks for stories and events which are both compelling in their own right and also help readers gain a wider understanding of the past. She is fascinated by the human experience-what motivates people to think and act as they do‹and the individual stories that comprise the larger historical picture. Preston spent over two years researching Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy. She did a remarkable amount of original research for the book, and is the first author to make full use of the German archives and newly discovered papers that illuminate both the human tragedy and subsequent plots to cover up what really happened. Preston traveled to all the key locations of the tragedy, experiencing firsthand how cold the water off the Irish coast near Cobh would have been in early May when the Lusitania sank, and how eerie it was to stand inside what remains of the U-20 (now at the Strandingsmuseum in West Jutland, Denmark) where the U-boat captain watched the Lusitania through his periscope and gave the order to fire. Of the many artifacts she reviewed, it was her extensive reading of the diaries and memoirs of survivors that had the biggest impact on her. The experience of looking at photographs and touching the scraps of clothing of both survivors and those who died when the Lusitania sank provided her with chilling pictures: The heartbreaking image of a young girl whose sister's hand slipped away from her was one that kept Preston up at night.

When not writing, Preston is an avid traveler with her husband, Michael. Together, they have sojourned throughout India, Asia, Africa, and Antarctica, and have climbed Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and Mount Roraima in Venezuela. Their adventures have also included gorilla-tracking in Zaire and camping their way across the Namibian desert.


Diana and Michael Preston live in London, England.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darwin is the scientific giant of the 19th century, and his influence (for good and ill) is still strong. So I'm looking forward to Preston's take!

Off to a great start. I'd forgotten Darwin was so young when he embarked on the Beagle's epic voyage in 1832. All of 23! A college-kid, today. He certainly made the most of his trip!

Preston is sympathetic to Darwin's long delay in publishing his theory, until Wallace was nipping at his heels. Compare her treatment of this topic to Paul Johnson's, still my gold standard for a short Darwin bio: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It would be interesting to read a review of how Darwinian evolution theory, well, evolved: one written by a working scientist in the field. Historians aren't really equipped to catch scientific nuance. Recommendations welcome!

4-star biography. I do have notes, and keep intending to write them up. You know about Good Intentions, right? It's an oft-told tale she tells, but she did a great job, adding lots of details that I was unaware of. Recommended reading for Darwin and 19th century history fans. Book verged on TMI at times, but if I skimmed on for a bit, I would get back to more interesting stuff.

[Will Ansbacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it is a biography of Darwin and does touch on his evolution theories, the title doesn’t quite seem appropriate; and for me this book’s attraction was really the story of his voyage as a young man on the HMS Beagle.

That momentous five-year expedition, where he made his major collections and observations that did eventually lead to his ideas about evolution, takes up more than half the book.
And I had no idea what to expect – the intrepid explorer you meet here is quite the opposite of the rather frail academically-inclined theorist he became in his later years.

Darwin, who had recently graduated as a geologist (surprise! not a biologist or zoologist after all), was taken on as a naturalist and “gentleman companion” for the Beagle’s captain, FitzRoy. The sheer scale of the expedition was awe-inspiring, as were the instructions from the Admiralty: to complete a survey of the coast of South America and “if time permits,” the South Pacific from the Galapagos Islands to Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the Beagle was to return three inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego who had been kidnapped and “re-educated” in England a couple of years earlier.

Among Darwin’s many adventures: participating in putting down a rebellion in Montevideo, getting caught up in another uprising in Buenos Aires, riding alone across a thousand miles of Patagonian pampas, crossing the Andes on foot in just a week.

What also makes the book fascinating is the relationship between Darwin and FitzRoy, who was often moody and a bit of a depressive.

Preston makes extensive use of letters, diaries and other first-person writing, and it does make for uncomfortable reading sometimes. You just have to suspend your modernist outlook and immerse yourself in the rank chauvinism of the early 19th-century British Empire!

Read last year but somehow only just getting around to reviewing it.

[Dave Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels longer than it is
I learned some new things and that's the first half of a good nonfiction book. The second half would be, Did you enjoy learning those new things? ...Yeah, mostly.
Slightly misleading title.
While most of this book takes place on the HMS Beagle, this is in fact a full birth to death biography of Charles Darwin with an exhaustive accounting of the entire voyage of the Beagle.
What did I learn from this book that I didn't know before? For one Darwin was from a Rich family. Darwin's personal allowance was 3 times the annual pay of a British officer. At the start of the voyage Darwin was more of a Geologist than Zoologist and while he sent back thousands of animal specimen he also sent back a lot of fossils. Darwin discovered the fossil remains of a South American Rhinoceros and an American horse among others. He also very nearly proposed the theory of Pangea, but lacked the evidence. I didn't know that.
Also he himself never said "Survival of the fittest".
The voyage of the HMS Beagle was 5 eventful years long and this book makes you feel each one of them. But then when the Beagle lands back home we're still not done, we've got the rest of his whole life to get through.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. In particular, I liked the conversational writing style and the illustrations. I usually don’t like books overly reliant on quotes but in this case, the selective use of quotes worked very well. Diana Preston also gives some history of the places Darwin visited. The pacing was also very good, with no lingering on any specific point. I always liked geography, so I made sure that I had access to maps whenever I read the book so I could follow along with The Beagle. Overall, I think that this book is well worth reading for anyone interested in evolution. Thank you to Grove Atlantic for the digital review copy.

[Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Charles Darwin signed up to voyage on the Beagle he was a young man looking for adventure, When the Beagle returned to England five years later the pattern of his life was set, although he could not know it at the time.

Diana Preston has done an excellent job of conveying the voyage of ship and man. Her conversational style, backed up by her voluminous research, makes for an enjoyable reading experience. There is a lot to learn from this book, and it gives the reader a great deal to think about. The voyage on the Beagle was the making of the mature Charles Darwin, and thus a great influence on the modern world as we know it. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Anna de Keijzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible book. The author has a gift to make the story of Darwin come truly alive. The diversity in letters, diary excerpts, and things we know now make this book almost a living thing.

I am glad to get to know Charles Darwin a little bit more and to understand him as this very smart man who, however, did not know at first how a hammock works (spoiler: not by putting your feet in first which he was trying for half an hour) but later on in his life laid out this incredibly important theory of evolution. How he loved to open up about his emotions towards his sisters and the amount of times he escaped death during his trips to collect specimens or because he accidentally became a witness to brutal history in Brazil, Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego.

Sometimes it felt I was jump8ng in between many history books since the Beagle was witness to so many important moments in history.

I really appreciate Preston her disclaimer of how Darwin was still a man of his time and that she called him out for what he sometimes was, a chauvinist, a sexist and a man who lazily made generalizations about peoples. It is always good to get that out of the way. She also made a great analysis of the historical landscape in which Darwin's theories came to place and what happened with his theories after his death (eg eugenics).

The last great surprise of this book was the attention to the mental health of Darwin (anxiety and stress) and Fitzroy (bipilar disorder). It was very interesting to read in what way mental health was discussed during that time.

I fully recomment this book to anyone who is interested in history and adventure.

[Alex Edmundson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. I wish I would of had a book like this when I was younger. The author did a great job at telling Darwin’s story and researching his life and career.

[Rick Elinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While very familiar with Darwin's theory of evolution by variation and natural selection, I had never read any accounts either by Darwin or about him. There is a huge amount to draw on with letters, drafts, biographies, autobiographies, and diaries by Darwin and by his associates, principally Robert FitzRoy, Captain of the ship Beagle. Preston does a wonderful job of telling a coherent story, freely stringing together quotes from Darwin, FitzRoy, and many relatives and contemporaries.

Of course with the volume of material, an author can shape a Darwin narrative in different ways. Prominent features of Preston's account include Darwin's persistent abhorrence of slavery and his view that all humans are one family, Darwin's scientific attitude of accumulating as much information as possible and of making use of natural experiments and comparisons, and Darwin's accomplishments in light of his frequent illnesses and poor health. Aspects nicely explained were how Darwin's family wealth allowed him to not need employment, how the early drafts of his theory of evolution (transmutation) make reasonable his precedence over Wallace, and how important was Huxley's defense of Darwin, something Darwin could not do in person.

[Harry Moskowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful telling of Darwin on the Beagle

The author details Darwin and the Beagle. The collection of observations , physical evidence and hard thought that lead to his stunning theory of evolution. An excellent and worthwhile journey.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the ship sailed on, Darwin found some compensation in the glorious sunsets and the speed with which the sun sank beneath the horizon. For the first time he experienced the magic of the tropical night, which “does its best to smooth our sorrow—the air is still and deliciously warm … the sky is so clear and lofty, and stars innumerable shine so bright that like little moons they cast their glitter on the waves.”

“My mind has been since leaving England in a perfect hurricane of delight and astonishment …”

I have never read a biography of Darwin, biographies are not my thing, I find them, for the most part, a waste of time. This wasn’t bad, an abbreviated version of his diaries, letters and autobiography, and hundreds of thousands of letters to him with the interesting quotes picked out for us to save us from the lists and endless minutiae of this kind of antique writing.

It was still really long, and when I read the author credits her husband for the book also, without actually saying he writes some of it, it actually felt like there were 2 writers! There were really good parts with his quotes and evocative descriptions of the terrain, fauna, flora; and then stretches of the boring recitation of then they went there, and killed this, and then they went here, met that disagreeable fellow who was ugly, and there again, and he grumbled about this, and blah blah blah.

And random digressions into which European first sighted which piece of land, the horror they brought with them, then the next guy, the evil of enslaving people either figuratively by requiring 12 hours of hard labor and then 6 hours of church or literally, and then what happened next, and none of it seems to be important to the story of the Beagle. Or Darwin’s evolution. A very British lens also, it could have used more sensitivity to the people of the world that will read this.

That said, I appreciated the quotes and the descriptions of what he did and said on the voyage, and I learned so much. I want to read some more about the topic, and my wish would be to know what the life of the descendants of the unnamed sailors on the ships is like now, is it a gene so they are explorers also? And what was it like to be Darwin’s sisters and colleagues, receiving the diaries and specimens he sent back? What was it like to be a shipboard artist in those days, looking at the world from an European lens of beauty but still managed to find and paint beauty?

The author did actually visit many of the places the Beagle docked, what a great book could that be, but please let it describe the colors of the sea and sky, and how the water felt when they bathed in it, and where did they bathe in it and did they float in feeling the buoyancy of weightlessness or use it like a bathtub? Were there rainbows or fogbows or iridescence? What is it like now, how has it changed? Maybe in progress?

“Geology carries the day; it is like the pleasure of gambling, speculating on arriving what the rocks may be; I often mentally cry out 3 to one Tertiary against primitive …”

One pitch-dark night Darwin recorded a strange sight: “The sea from its extreme luminousness presented a wonderful … appearance; every part of the water, which by day is seen as foam, glowed with a pale light. The vessel drove before her bows two billows of liquid phosphorus, and in her wake was a milky train.—As far as the eye reached, the crest of every wave was bright, and from the reflected light the sky just above the horizon was not so utterly dark as the rest of the Heavens …” The sight reminded him of Milton’s descriptions “of the regions of Chaos and Anarchy” from his favorite book, Paradise Lost.

“My heart exults whenever I think of all the glorious prospects of the future.”

Looking down from the summit of the Campana he saw “Chili [sic] and its boundaries the Andes and the Pacific … as in a Map.” The Andes themselves—“more like a wall” than a range of separate mountains—differed from his expectations and were an awesome sight: “Who can avoid admiring the wonderful force which has upheaved these mountains, and even more so the countless ages which it must have required to have broken through, removed and levelled whole masses of them?” The idea that not only the Andes but the surrounding plains had been gradually uplifted from the sea was already in his mind.

Contrary to the myth that later developed, Darwin had not had a eureka moment. However, he had amassed a vast collection of animal specimens containing a good deal of the evidence on which he would base his subsequent work. During the Beagle’s forty days or so in the archipelago, he had spent only nineteen full—or more often part—days ashore and visited only four of the islands. Therefore, many of his specimens, including “finch” specimens from other islands, had been collected by other members of the crew and donated to him.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diana Preston's The Evolution of Charles Darwin is an engaging narrative of the famous naturalist's life and discoveries. As the subtitle indicates, most of the book focuses on Darwin's epochal voyage on the HMS Beagle, during which time he explored South America, Africa and Oceania, encountering a variety of far-flung cultures and climates, observing unique species in their natural habitats which inspired him to craft a theory of evolution. Preston, an experienced pop historian, does a fine job weaving Darwin's personal growth (starting as intellectually curious, ambitious but unfocused young man who found an extraordinary calling, almost by accident) with the Beagle's journey and their discoveries in the Tropics; she interrogates Darwin and his colleagues' interactions with recently-independent South Americans and their culture, which the Europeans viewed with a mixture of curiosity and condescension. While light on science for a book about a scientist, Preston's quite engaging chronicling the unique creatures (from rare marsupials and his famous finches, to "disgusting" iguanas and tasty giant tortoise) and the sense of wonder they inspired in those encountering them for the first time; and also gives an idea of how Darwin began formulating his theories on the spot, later refining them in a painstaking process of research, writing and collaboration with like-minded naturalists (which ultimately broke Darwin's health). Preston allows that Darwin's views on race weren't especially progressive (his initial respect for indigenous South Americans soon turns to condescension, causing him to muse on the difference between "savage" and "civilized races"), but stresses that he scarcely imagined the later misuse his theories would be put by eugenicists, bigots and "Social Darwinists." Later sections of the book feel underdeveloped, with Preston retracing the actual writing of Origin of Species and later books, the furor over their publication and the famous Oxford debate between Thomas Huxley and Bishop Wilberforce dutifully, if not excitingly. While scientists might find little new material, lay readers will certainly appreciate Preston's portrait of this extraordinary man and his work.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

One reviewer described this as an irresistible scientific biography and adventure story with a happy ending. Agreed. The argument is made that of all scientists across known time, from Aristotle to Galileo, Newton to Einstein, that Darwin could arguably be the most significant. This book chronicles the voyage of the Beagle and what it lead to.
When twenty-two-year-old aspiring geologist Charles Darwin boarded HMS Beagle in 1831 with his microscopes and specimen bottles—invited by ship’s captain Robert FitzRoy who wanted a travel companion at least as much as a ship’s naturalist — he hardly thought he was embarking on what would become the most important and epoch-changing voyage in scientific history. Nonetheless, over the course of the five-year journey around the globe in often hard and hazardous conditions, Darwin would make observations and gather samples that would form the basis of his revolutionary, evolutionary theories about the origin of species and natural selection.
Spending more than half his time on shore, he traveled thousands of miles by horse, mule, or foot, often suffering intensely and relying for protection, food, and hospitality on horsemen, ranchers, soldiers, and local officials. Unlike most world travelers who wrote their books and got on with their lives, Darwin thought deeply about his observations and, unhappily, concluded that they contradicted the traditional account of Creation, which almost everyone took for granted. Species varied from place to place, and differences grew when creatures better adapted to an environment thrived at the expense of those less adapted. He called this natural selection. Preston rightly points out that Darwin did not discover evolution. Thinkers throughout history speculated that life was ever changing, but no one explained how. Natural selection was the first testable explanation, and Darwin’s On the Origin of Species delivered the evidence. The book appeared at a critical historical moment, becoming an international sensation and bestseller.

[Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read. That I really enjoyed reading. I really tried to finish it in one day ad it was such a fantastic book but sleep won. It is a very well wrote book that follows so well and is obviously very well researched. I loved how the footnotes for this book were at the bottom of each page which is so helpful and so much better than the end of the book. It is a long book as it is packed so full of interesting information but it held my attention throughout. I loved how the book had some wonderful pictures to break up the text and give it that extra dimension. It was a fascinating book that concentrated on Darwin from his rejection to travel on ghe beagle to his actual journey on it and his life afterwards until his death. I have read lots of books about Darwin and loved that this book held information I had never read before which was just brilliant. If you want to read a book about Darwins travel on ghe beagle then this book is definitely for you I certainly recommend it.
So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for bringing us this very interesting book that I just loved. It's definitely a page turner.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read this book, I couldn't help wonder about whether the author and her editor battled over the length of this book. Diana Preston, the author, had access to Darwin's diaries and other papers, through several on-line resources, and was therefore able to provide vivid details of Darwin's overland journeys through South America while traveling there on the HMS Beagle. I found this interesting, while at the same time frustrating, as I felt I didn't need to know what Darwin did on an almost daily basis. I had decided to read this book, hoping that his voyage on the Beagle would be as interesting as the accounts in "The Wide Wide Sea," and "The Wager." It was not nearly as compelling, which was fine. I simply felt that there was too much information about what Darwin did on his over-land journeys for my liking. The material provided on Darwin's life in England after the return of the Beagle was really interesting, including his publication of "The Origin of the Species" and "The Descent of Man." I also very much liked the author's treatment of FitzRoy's life after the return of the Beagle.

[Richard Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed and well written summary of Darwin’s week to week experience during the voyage, as well as its aftermath (a couple chapters on his career on returning home, including the development of his theory of natural selection). A lot of information I was unaware of—his pre voyage education, the background of Captain Fitzroy and their relationship, other characters in Darwin’s life. The saga of the Fuegans returning to their homeland was sad.

Some surprises: what a huge proportion of the voyage was spent in South America, both the east and west coasts; how much time he spent on land, and the overland trips he took; how his biggest emphasis was on geology during the voyage; how proportionately brief was his stay on the Galapagos.

A great contribution to the literature on this subject. Maybe not the end-all—I plan to look at some of the references she cites.

[Barbara Brydges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sure this definitive biography of Charles Darwin actually deserves five stars, but I’ve downgraded it simply because the immense amount of details makes it a very slow, and sometimes laborious read. Having said that, I learned an immense amount about not only Darwin as a person but about the entire voyage of “The Beagle,” which was far more extensive than I’d ever known. The title is entirely appropriate, since Darwin evolved from a young naturalist primarily interested in geology and it took him many years after his return to finally formulate his ground-shaking ideas about evolution and the origin of the species. I appreciate learning more about the entire social political context of the times and the important role played by others on the voyage. Extremely informative.

[Jack Reidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle

The full title is The Evolution of Charles Darwin: The Epic Voyage of the Beagle That Forever Changed Our View of Life on Earth by Diana Preston.

And it is an extensive story of that journey which was so important for our understanding of the development of life and how life and the Earth changed over time. At almost 500 pages it is rather long and detailed for the casual reader. There are extensive quotes which made the book enjoyable for me.

I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read it in advance. The book was published October 4 so It should be readily available at you favorite source

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story of Darwin’s journey around the globe and traveling back to the 19th century where ocean voyages were very different from the vacation cruises I’ve experienced. I liked that Preston included factual data with quotes and pictures. I found this book to be an interesting exploration of Darwin’s adventures and findings.

ARC was provided by Grove Atlantic and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Pub Date: October 4, 2022

[Andre Lachance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several biographies of Charles Darwin, wondering what else remains to be discovered about the iconic biologist. This one dispels a number of myths and shows us the human side of the great man, weaknesses and all. It also redeems Robert Fitzroy as a brilliant and generous captain who was the ideal complement to Darwin in his 5-year circumnavigation of the planet.

[Mike Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it a long read, however four years and nine months is a long voyage. And collecting 5,400 specimens does not qualify Darwin as a conservationist. I got there in the end, which was worth getting to because I read that Robert FitzRoy the captain of the Beagle also founded the British Meteorologist office. Possibly a story in itself.

[Hotrats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. Caught my interest right away and I read the book in two days. Fascinating story of Darwin's voyage. I did not know how extensive his research and observations went. He was a geologist? Who knew, not me.
I also enjoyed and Ms Preston included contemporary events in the narrative so you make links with other historic events.

[Ryan King · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book to complete my 2023 reading challenge!

Darwin was so much more than the man who went to the Galapagos and studied some finches.
The book is an excellent tale of The Beagle and the five year journey she and her crew took along the Southern Hemisphere.

[Linda Covey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I knew of Darwin's writings, I knew very little about the man himself. This was an interesting book, doubly so because of my own recent trip to South America. Darwin's theories were revolutionary, and it was well worth learning how those ideas came about.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very readable account of Darwin's trip aboard the Beagle and a good synopsis of his later thoughts and publications. Probably saved me a slog through his own account.

[Michael Zand · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner. Wonderfully researched. It was amazing how rational Darwin was and how he applied the scientific method to evaluate all his ideas.

[Andre Renovato · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting, beautiful and exotic account of how one of the most revolutionary ideas of mankind came to be, as well as of the man behind it.

One of the best books I've ever read!

[Jonathan Colan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough and engaging account of Darwin’s travels leading up to his published work. The extent of his travels and adventures in South America, especially, was impressive and worth reading about.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrifically written and well researched biography

[BJ Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the introduction to this book, Diana Preston wrote, "Like many of his contemporaries, Darwin was cheerfully and unashamedly racist, chauvinistic, nationalistic, and sexist." I almost put this book down right then and there thinking, "Oh great, another anachronistic excoriation of a major historical figure." Fortunately, after this obligatory nod to the woke mob, Preston managed to get down to the business of writing an excellent biography of Darwin with a focus on how his time aboard the Beagle impacted his evolving views on natural selection and evolution.

I like how Preston pointed out multiple times that Darwin wasn't the first person to believe in some form of evolution. Many of his teachers and others in the two generations before him did hold some sort of evolutionary view. What Darwin did was become the first person to demonstrate the means by which that evolution took place. In effect, others said "nature evolved" and Darwin said, "here's how." Whether one agrees or not, the author did her research and demonstrated through Darwin's diaries and letters how he came to develop this understanding through a readable and gripping narrative.

[Isaac Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this account of Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle. I hadn’t realized he’d spent so much time on land. The actual sailing was a small part of the five or so years away. I also hadn’t realized how much of Darwin’s focus was on geology. The style is narrative history and it is very readable. Lots of appropriately placed quotes from the diaries of the protagonists. I enjoyed reading about the “supporting cast” just as much as the man himself.