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Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World
Rocky, fragile, beautiful, strange—the Galápagos archipelago is unlike any other place on earth. Its geology, its unique flora and fauna, and its striking role in human history intersect in surprising and dynamic ways. This book is the most wide-ranging and beautifully illustrated book available on the famous islands. Not since Darwin’s Naturalist’s Voyage has a book combined so much scientific and historic information with firsthand accounts that bring the Galápagos to life.
Galápagos: The Islands That Changed the World describes how tragedy and murderous pirates curtailed settlement of the islands and how the islands’ pristine nature, spectacular geology, and defining isolation inspired Darwin’s ideas about evolution. The book explores the diverse land and marine habitats that shelter Galápagos species and considers the islands’ importance today as a frontier for science and a refuge for true wilderness.
The book’s extensive gazetteer provides details about endemic plants and animals as well as travel advice about visitors’ sites, diving, photography, when to go, and what to take. Vividly illustrated throughout, this guide is an indispensable reference for natural history enthusiasts, armchair travelers, and island visitors alike.
Galápagos: The Islands That Changed the World describes how tragedy and murderous pirates curtailed settlement of the islands and how the islands’ pristine nature, spectacular geology, and defining isolation inspired Darwin’s ideas about evolution. The book explores the diverse land and marine habitats that shelter Galápagos species and considers the islands’ importance today as a frontier for science and a refuge for true wilderness.
The book’s extensive gazetteer provides details about endemic plants and animals as well as travel advice about visitors’ sites, diving, photography, when to go, and what to take. Vividly illustrated throughout, this guide is an indispensable reference for natural history enthusiasts, armchair travelers, and island visitors alike.
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 4, 2022
Having just finished 14 days cruising in the Galapagos, this book, despite its short length and many pictures was by far the best guide and gets our highest recommendation for general reading about the Galapagos and as a trip guide. It had the best map, the best information on the places we visited, and was incredibly informative. We referred to it every day. The author clearly knew the Galapagos better than anyone and his insights were consistently meaningful.
October 21, 2014
Beautiful photos! The photos themselves are worth the price of this book alone. Especially for anyone who is curious about the Galapagos, yet who knows that the likelihood of ever personally visiting there is almost nil. With this book you can get a real feel for the beauty and uniqueness of these islands, the flora, the fauna, the geology, the geography.
Very informational and informative also. Well written to keep you interested and engrossed without mind numbing excessive details. I now have a much better understanding of these islands.
Very informational and informative also. Well written to keep you interested and engrossed without mind numbing excessive details. I now have a much better understanding of these islands.
November 22, 2016
I had no idea people lived on the Galapagos islands. Some great photos in this book along with some natural history and human history too.
December 4, 2018
This is a great book to read as preparation for a trip to the Galapagos. It's based loosely on a BBC TV series, but ends up being a primer on the islands.
The book goes over the geology, history, and ecology of the islands. It doesn't get much into the current political situation- there are other books for that.
The book prepared me for the weird landscapes that encompass the islands. The climate when we were there was arid (last part of the dry season in late November) and the place seemed desolate. You could see why, historically, no one was eager to claim the territory for themselves. Little fresh water, little fresh meat except for the tortoises (sadly), nothing to make you want to stay. A tropical paradise this is not. The poor marine iguanas were called "imps of darkness" because of their coloration and appearance, and superstitious sailors felt that the islands were cursed.
These islands are like nowhere else on earth, and this book gave me the background to see them in context with the past and with some of the current environmental issues. The islands have been devastated by invasive species, which now make up over two thirds of life on these islands. Different subspecies of tortoises, birds and iguanas have gone extinct, unable to compete with robust alien animals which arrived on the islands as purposeful imports or accidental stowaways.
Even though the islands feel almost alien, they do have a beauty to them. And this place was the genesis of Darwin's concept of evolution, a theory which changed the whole world. It's hard to overstate the importance of the concept of life that can change to how we have interacted with the world. It's led to advances in medicine, greater understanding of ecology, geology, astronomy. No longer do we believe that we live in a static created universe; we know that we live in one that's changing all the time. (At least, a lot of us do think this- many people do beg to differ.)
The last part of the book was hugely practical for my family, which did a land-based trip in Santa Cruz instead of a boat trip. There are lists of animals and which islands they live on. Also a run-down of what each island is known for. This gave us a good basis to plan our trips to neighboring islands to view wildlife. I read three books in preparation for our trip, and I'd say that this one was the most useful.
The book goes over the geology, history, and ecology of the islands. It doesn't get much into the current political situation- there are other books for that.
The book prepared me for the weird landscapes that encompass the islands. The climate when we were there was arid (last part of the dry season in late November) and the place seemed desolate. You could see why, historically, no one was eager to claim the territory for themselves. Little fresh water, little fresh meat except for the tortoises (sadly), nothing to make you want to stay. A tropical paradise this is not. The poor marine iguanas were called "imps of darkness" because of their coloration and appearance, and superstitious sailors felt that the islands were cursed.
These islands are like nowhere else on earth, and this book gave me the background to see them in context with the past and with some of the current environmental issues. The islands have been devastated by invasive species, which now make up over two thirds of life on these islands. Different subspecies of tortoises, birds and iguanas have gone extinct, unable to compete with robust alien animals which arrived on the islands as purposeful imports or accidental stowaways.
Even though the islands feel almost alien, they do have a beauty to them. And this place was the genesis of Darwin's concept of evolution, a theory which changed the whole world. It's hard to overstate the importance of the concept of life that can change to how we have interacted with the world. It's led to advances in medicine, greater understanding of ecology, geology, astronomy. No longer do we believe that we live in a static created universe; we know that we live in one that's changing all the time. (At least, a lot of us do think this- many people do beg to differ.)
The last part of the book was hugely practical for my family, which did a land-based trip in Santa Cruz instead of a boat trip. There are lists of animals and which islands they live on. Also a run-down of what each island is known for. This gave us a good basis to plan our trips to neighboring islands to view wildlife. I read three books in preparation for our trip, and I'd say that this one was the most useful.
April 8, 2023
Ok, so unless you are planning to travel to the Galapagos you probably aren't really interested in this book review. A week from now I will be experiencing the information from this book in real life. So I really enjoyed the history, geography, and biology foci and the incredible photographs in this text and hope others will, too.
February 8, 2018
Even though Darwin attributed much importance of his discovery of the theory of evolution to his visit of the Galápagos Islands during his trip on board the Beagle, he actually did not write a whole lot about Galapagos in “the Voyage of the Beagle“. In fact, he didn’t even label some of his samples of the exact islands on which they are collected. As for the famous tortoises? No luck either. Darwin and his shipmates ate all of them (45 in total, each producing up to 200 lb of meat) and — get this— threw away those uniquely shaped shells. Darwin! Treating precious biological samples as mere food! That’s an example of an interesting factoid you can find in this book. — in addition to lots of background about the geology, history, and wildlife of the archipelago.
The book is full of relevant photos and helpful suggestions about how to plan your visit there. It’s an easy must-read recommendation if you are planning to visit Galapagos.
——
Update: I think it was Darwin who said The Galapagos were “utterly uninviting”. He may be right about evolution, he is mistaken about the “uninviting” part. The Galapagos national park is expertly managed and wonderfully preserved. It is well worth a visit. Read the book and go there see for yourself.
The book is full of relevant photos and helpful suggestions about how to plan your visit there. It’s an easy must-read recommendation if you are planning to visit Galapagos.
——
Update: I think it was Darwin who said The Galapagos were “utterly uninviting”. He may be right about evolution, he is mistaken about the “uninviting” part. The Galapagos national park is expertly managed and wonderfully preserved. It is well worth a visit. Read the book and go there see for yourself.
July 9, 2022
I thought this was going to be a "coffee table" type of a book, with beautiful pictures but not much in the way of insight in the text, but it turned out to be highly informative about the Galapagos and very well written. A must before you visit!
March 17, 2014
Great read for anyone interested in visiting (or just knowing more about) the Galapagos Islands. Great photos and a good summary of the history/geology/biology of the Galapagos. Exactly the type of book I was looking to read before my trip to the islands (and a good book to take on the trip with its review of the flora and fauna on the islands and the best places to find them).
January 2, 2016
This is a beautiful book and a great resource. I am going to the Galapagos next month and this provided information on the geology and continuing evolution of the islands, including the birds, plants and animlas, and sealife. I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating and important part of the planet.
January 15, 2016
Wonderful book! If you are planning a trip there, would like to go, or if you are a Galapagos armchair tourist, you will find something in this book for you--ancient history, world history, geography, biology, evolution...it has it all. Gorgeous pictures and plans to help preserve the islands. Really, everyone should read this...
October 25, 2023
I am going to the Galapagos! As such, I am reading all things (well, not exactly all things, but many things) that have been written over the years about the islands and the wildlife that exists there. While this is not a "must read", especially if you are interested in the science of it all, but it is a very good book to read if you want a short, not too scientific, but not a gloss over of the science of what was found there by Darwin, and why it mattered so much that he both found it and made sense of it. It is a photograph-rich volume, and if you want more than a fold out overview of the life in the water, on the land, and in the air, this is an easy way to give it all a once over, along with a brief description of the geology of the islands, and how that contributed to their uniqueness. It is definitely not scintillating reading, but it is also the best quick and straight forward overview that I have read so far.
March 2, 2020
Interesting read on the landscape, wildlife, conservation of the islands. Good base knowledge if you are planning to go to Galapagos ( like I am). If not, still a good read for armchair travelers.
I showed this book to my nieces and nephews who are 5 and under. The pictures truly piqued their interest and good to see generations talking and interacting (the grandparents all chimed in).
I showed this book to my nieces and nephews who are 5 and under. The pictures truly piqued their interest and good to see generations talking and interacting (the grandparents all chimed in).
April 20, 2025
If you're going to the islands, or if you're just obsessed with this amazing place like I was before I went (and even more so now), then this is a five star must read! If your interest in the Galapagos is more casual, then it's still a very interesting read with beautiful images.
June 2, 2018
Really good! I learned a lot for my upcoming trip to the Galapagos!
September 10, 2019
Glossy photos accompany a decent overview of Galapagos geology, human history, Darwin, wildlife and conservation efforts (up to 2006). Companion to the BBC's 2006 Galapagos series.
October 27, 2021
Went into some of the politics of the islands, not just the natural history. Great photos!
July 29, 2026
The best guide you could possibly ask for. Such an incredible and in-depth history that really paints a picture of the islands, their significance, and how they got to be the way they are.
February 11, 2023
I wasn’t expecting myself to pick up a textbook to read for pleasure, but I was given this book before my trip to the Galápagos Islands and I knew I probably wouldn’t have much interest in reading it at any other time in my life (unless I’m able to go again), so now was the time!
Having traveled the Galápagos and then reading this, wow it took me back and touched on many we were able to learn about and then expanded in an informative way. From the animals to each specific island, the attempts at colonizing, the unique weather patterns — even how best to tour and visit — all are included!
I really recommend reading this if you have interest in visiting, or learning about this very special part of our planet.
Having traveled the Galápagos and then reading this, wow it took me back and touched on many we were able to learn about and then expanded in an informative way. From the animals to each specific island, the attempts at colonizing, the unique weather patterns — even how best to tour and visit — all are included!
I really recommend reading this if you have interest in visiting, or learning about this very special part of our planet.
November 2, 2016
If you're going to only read one book about the Galapagos, choose this one. It offers a succinct overview of flora and fauna, geology, culture and history, complemented by gorgeous photographs. Boxed texts offers detailed sidenotes apart from the basics. If you are going to read more than one book about the Galapagos, this is a great place to start.
July 15, 2021
The photos, illustrations, and maps were well incorporated with the information. However, this book leaned really heavily on the "humans are evil and the source of all ills in the world" end of the conservation spectrum. It made the book off-putting rather than getting me invested in conservation.
September 29, 2014
This book is worthwhile for the photographs alone, but it is also a good single-volume guide to the Galápagos Islands. Extremely well written, the book covers the history, geography, and biology of the region as well as providing tips for travelers.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews