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robk's review against another edition
5.0
This book obviously shows its age as a work of science writing, but it is a magnificent travelogue. Darwin's voyage, detailed in this account, transformed his beliefs and laid the groundwork for his theories of evolution. His descriptions of the indigenous peoples he encountered, as well as the fellow expatriates and travelers he met, make for an entertaining cast of characters, set against an ever-changing, but continually marvelous background of islands and foreign lands. We meet a wide range of fascinating people throughout the trip: the Fuegians of Tierra del Fuego, gauchos of Argentina, and the New Zealander Maoris and the British in Australia. Darwin's reflections on civilized man vs. native man are interesting, but a little prejudiced by his generation's mores. Nevertheless, it would make interesting ground for discussion.
The science discussed in this book is elementary by today's standard. In fact, Darwin's conclusions are so seemingly obvious that it's difficult to believe that this voyage and his discoveries established his presence in the scientific community. On one hand, this makes sense because he first became popular for the fossil collecting he did on this journey. On the other hand, his apparently obvious theorizing may be a testament to his importance as a scientist because it is so ubiquitous today. The things we "know" today, even as children, were great mysteries of nature at one point, and Darwin is one of the most important illuminating voices in human history.
I think this would be a great choice for young adults, even junior high aged students. The writing may be a little dense and difficult for young readers from time to time, but it is a coming of age story, full of fantastic adventures that shock and entertain. The ideas Darwin mulls over in this diary are still relevant today, and there's little in this book as controversial as his theories in On the Origin of Species. I would love to teach this book to my students one day, but I don't know if that will ever be a possibility.
The book is in the public domain and available online here: http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-voyage-of-the-beagle/
The science discussed in this book is elementary by today's standard. In fact, Darwin's conclusions are so seemingly obvious that it's difficult to believe that this voyage and his discoveries established his presence in the scientific community. On one hand, this makes sense because he first became popular for the fossil collecting he did on this journey. On the other hand, his apparently obvious theorizing may be a testament to his importance as a scientist because it is so ubiquitous today. The things we "know" today, even as children, were great mysteries of nature at one point, and Darwin is one of the most important illuminating voices in human history.
I think this would be a great choice for young adults, even junior high aged students. The writing may be a little dense and difficult for young readers from time to time, but it is a coming of age story, full of fantastic adventures that shock and entertain. The ideas Darwin mulls over in this diary are still relevant today, and there's little in this book as controversial as his theories in On the Origin of Species. I would love to teach this book to my students one day, but I don't know if that will ever be a possibility.
The book is in the public domain and available online here: http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-voyage-of-the-beagle/
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