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

Historian Preston (Eight Days at Yalta) offers a brisk and accessible account of how Charles Darwin developed his theory of natural selection. Though the bulk of the book is a blow-by-blow account of Darwin’s journey aboard the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836, Preston shines in her assessment of how the young naturalist’s middle-class background, character (“sociable, usually good-natured, and eager to please”), and worldview (“chauvinistic, nationalistic, and sexist” but also “liberal for the time” and in firm opposition to slavery) contributed to his ideas about evolution. Though Preston relies on familiar sources, including Darwin’s diaries and letters, she expertly mines them to explain how he integrated insights from other thinkers and explorers (Alexander von Humboldt, William Dampier, Thomas Malthus) with his Beagle observations to create a theory of the gradual creation of species over geological time. She also details the social, political, and religious contexts in which Darwin developed his theory, sheds light on his family life, and reveals how naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace’s development of a similar thesis helped push Darwin to finally publish On the Origin of Species in 1859. While somewhat familiar, this is a rewarding look at the development of an earth-shattering idea. Illus. (Oct.)