The Readable Darwin

The Readable Darwin PDF Author: Charles Darwin
Publisher: Sinauer Associates, Incorporated
ISBN: 9781605353289
Category : Evolution (Biology)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Origin of Species is one of the most influential books ever written. Not only has it inspired an incredible amount of scientific research on a remarkable number of different topics, but it laid a foundation for all modern arguments about organismal diversity. It is also a sterling example of scientific thinking at its best. Darwin is very clear about his evidence, but also very clear about the things he doesn't yet understand, even those that might pose problems for his thesis. Unfortunately, his paragraphs are often very long; the sentences are often unwieldy and difficult for modern readers to follow; and Darwin assumes that his readers know a lot more about the people and organisms he talks about than most modern readers do. Although The Origin is widely known, it is now rarely read. This new book is the product of careful editing of Darwin's sixth and final edition (published in 1872) into more readable prose, with numerous helpful drawings and photographs added. Dr. Pechenik's goal is to enable more people--including high school and college students'--to read and understand this fascinating and important book, and to enjoy doing so. Every page of Darwin' s book has been painstakingly rewritten: long paragraphs have been broken up, sentences have been shortened and reorganized, and weak verbs have been replaced with stronger verbs. The various people that Darwin mentions have been identified, and his terminology and the logic of some of his arguments have been clarified, all to make Darwin's points clearer to today's readers while retaining the flavor of the original Origin. In addition, occasional footnotes clarify issues about which Darwin was uncertain or mistaken. This book covers the first eight of The Origin's fifteen chapters, focusing on variation, the inheritance of variation, and the action of selection in bringing about major changes in the way that organisms look and behave. RESOURCES The Companion Website includes all of the links and videos referenced in each chapter of the book.

The Readable Darwin

The Readable Darwin PDF Author: Charles Darwin
Publisher: Sinauer Associates, Incorporated
ISBN: 9781605353289
Category : Evolution (Biology)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Origin of Species is one of the most influential books ever written. Not only has it inspired an incredible amount of scientific research on a remarkable number of different topics, but it laid a foundation for all modern arguments about organismal diversity. It is also a sterling example of scientific thinking at its best. Darwin is very clear about his evidence, but also very clear about the things he doesn't yet understand, even those that might pose problems for his thesis. Unfortunately, his paragraphs are often very long; the sentences are often unwieldy and difficult for modern readers to follow; and Darwin assumes that his readers know a lot more about the people and organisms he talks about than most modern readers do. Although The Origin is widely known, it is now rarely read. This new book is the product of careful editing of Darwin's sixth and final edition (published in 1872) into more readable prose, with numerous helpful drawings and photographs added. Dr. Pechenik's goal is to enable more people--including high school and college students'--to read and understand this fascinating and important book, and to enjoy doing so. Every page of Darwin' s book has been painstakingly rewritten: long paragraphs have been broken up, sentences have been shortened and reorganized, and weak verbs have been replaced with stronger verbs. The various people that Darwin mentions have been identified, and his terminology and the logic of some of his arguments have been clarified, all to make Darwin's points clearer to today's readers while retaining the flavor of the original Origin. In addition, occasional footnotes clarify issues about which Darwin was uncertain or mistaken. This book covers the first eight of The Origin's fifteen chapters, focusing on variation, the inheritance of variation, and the action of selection in bringing about major changes in the way that organisms look and behave. RESOURCES The Companion Website includes all of the links and videos referenced in each chapter of the book.

Darwin's On the Origin of Species

Darwin's On the Origin of Species PDF Author: Daniel Duzdevich
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253011744
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
An essential new edition of the 19th-century scientific masterpiece that translates Darwin’s Victorian prose into modern English: “Most useful” (Walter Brock, Columbia University). Charles Darwin’s most famous book On the Origin of Species is without question one of the most important books ever written. Yet many students have great difficulty understanding it. While even the grandest works of Victorian English can be a challeng for modern readers, Darwin’s dense scientific prose is especially difficult to navigate. For an era in which Darwin is more talked about than read, doctoral student Daniel Duzdevich offers a clear, modern English rendering of Darwin’s first edition. Neither an abridgement nor a summary, this version might best be described as a translation for contemporary English readers. A monument to reasoned insight, the Origin illustrates the value of extensive reflection, carefully gathered evidence, and sound scientific reasoning. By removing the linguistic barriers to understanding and appreciating the Origin, this edition brings 21st-century readers into closer contact with Darwin’s revolutionary ideas.

The Readable Darwin

The Readable Darwin PDF Author: Jan A. Pechenik
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197575269
Category : Evolution (Biology)
Languages : en
Pages : 513

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Book Description
"For nearly five years, from Dec. 27, 1831, until Oct. 2, 1836, I served as naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, exploring. During that voyage I was much amazed by how the various types of organisms were distributed around South America, and how the animals and plants presently living on that continent are related to those found only as fossils in the geological record elsewhere. These facts, as will be seen in later chapters, seemed to me to throw some light on the origin of species-that "mystery of mysteries," as it has been called by one of our greatest scientists, John Herschel. After I returned home, it occurred to me in 1837 that I might be able to help address this great question by patiently accumulating and reflecting on all sorts of facts that might have any bearing on it. Finally, after five years of work, I allowed myself to speculate on the subject and wrote up some brief notes. I enlarged these in 1844 into a sketch of the conclusions that seemed to be most probable from the evidence I had collected. Over the subsequent 15 years I have steadily pursued the same object: trying to understand how new species come about. I hope you will excuse me for entering these personal details of my work, as I give them only to show that I have not been hasty in coming to a decision"--

Charles Darwin's Natural Selection

Charles Darwin's Natural Selection PDF Author: Charles Darwin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521348072
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 710

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Book Description
Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species is unquestionably one of the chief landmarks in biology. The Origin (as it is widely known) was literally only an abstract of the manuscript Darwin had originally intended to complete and publish as the formal presentation of his views on evolution. Compared with the Origin, his original long manuscript work on Natural Selection, which is presented here and made available for the first time in printed form, has more abundant examples and illustrations of Darwin's argument, plus an extensive citation of sources.

Darwin's Sacred Cause

Darwin's Sacred Cause PDF Author: Adrian Desmond
Publisher: HMH
ISBN: 0547527756
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 513

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Book Description
An “arresting” and deeply personal portrait that “confront[s] the touchy subject of Darwin and race head on” (The New York Times Book Review). It’s difficult to overstate the profound risk Charles Darwin took in publishing his theory of evolution. How and why would a quiet, respectable gentleman, a pillar of his parish, produce one of the most radical ideas in the history of human thought? Drawing on a wealth of manuscripts, family letters, diaries, and even ships’ logs, Adrian Desmond and James Moore have restored the moral missing link to the story of Charles Darwin’s historic achievement. Nineteenth-century apologists for slavery argued that blacks and whites had originated as separate species, with whites created superior. Darwin, however, believed that the races belonged to the same human family. Slavery was therefore a sin, and abolishing it became Darwin’s sacred cause. His theory of evolution gave a common ancestor not only to all races, but to all biological life. This “masterful” book restores the missing moral core of Darwin’s evolutionary universe, providing a completely new account of how he came to his shattering theories about human origins (Publishers Weekly, starred review). It will revolutionize your view of the great naturalist. “An illuminating new book.” —Smithsonian “Compelling . . . Desmond and Moore aptly describe Darwin’s interaction with some of the thorniest social and political issues of the day.” —Wired “This exciting book is sure to create a stir.” —Janet Browne, Aramont Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University, and author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin PDF Author: J. David Archibald
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538111640
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Charles Darwin: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works provides an important new compendium presenting a detailed chronology of all aspects Darwin’s life. The extensive encyclopedia section includes many hundreds of entries of various kinds related to Darwin – people, places, institutions, concepts, and his publications. The bibliography provides a comprehensive listing of the vast majority of Darwin’s works published during and after his lifetime. It also provides a more selective list of publications concerning his life and work. Includes a nearly year by year chronology detailing Charles Darwin’s life, family, and work. The A to Z section includes many entries on concepts and people important in Charles Darwin’s life and his work, emphasizing during his lifetime but extending somewhat backwards and forwards from there. The bibliography includes all of Charles Darwin's articles and books published in his lifetime in English and other languages, as well as a selective list of works about him and his work. The index thoroughly cross-references the chronological and encyclopedic entries.

The Young Charles Darwin

The Young Charles Darwin PDF Author: Keith Stewart Thomson
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300136080
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
This book is the first to inquire into the range of influences and ideas, the mentors and rivals, and the formal and informal education that shaped Charles Darwin and prepared him for his remarkable career of scientific achievement. Keith Thomson concentrates on Darwin's early life as a schoolboy, a medical student at Edinburgh, a theology student at Cambridge, and a naturalist aboard the Beagle on its famous five-year voyage

Darwin's First Theory

Darwin's First Theory PDF Author: Rob Wesson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1681773775
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 419

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Book Description
Everybody knows—or thinks they know—Charles Darwin, the father of evolution and the man who altered the way we view our place in the world. But what most people do not know is that Darwin was on board the HMS Beagle as a geologist—on a mission to examine the land, not flora and fauna.Tracing Darwin’s footsteps in South America and beyond, geologist Rob Wesson sets out on a trek across the Andes, repeating the nautical surveys made by the Beagle’s crew, hunting for fossils in Uruguay and Argentina, and explores traces of long vanished glaciers in Scotland and Wales. By following Darwin’s path literally and intellectually, Rob experiences the landscape that absorbed Darwin, followed his reasoning about what he saw, and immerses himself in the same questions about the earth. Upon Darwin’s return from the five-year journey, he conceived his theory of tectonics—his first theory. These concepts and attitudes—the vastness of time; the enormous cumulative impact of almost imperceptibly slow change; change as a constant feature of the environment—underlie his subsequent discoveries in evolution. And this peculiar way of thinking remains vitally important today as we enter the Anthropocene.

Darwin in Galápagos

Darwin in Galápagos PDF Author: K. Thalia Grant
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691142106
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
Recreates the scientist's historic visit to the Galapagos Islands using his original notebooks and logs, the latest findings by scholars and researchers, and the authors' first-hand knowledge of the archipelago.

On Natural Selection

On Natural Selection PDF Author: Charles Darwin
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101651164
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 87

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Book Description
Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives—and destroyed them. Now, Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are. Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers, and each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-drive design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped the world.