Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Charles Darwin: A Brief Chronology

A Note on the Text

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection

• An Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion onthe Origin of Species
  Contents
  Text
  Glossary of the Principal Scientific Terms Usedin the Present Volume
  Index

Appendix A: From The Autobiography of Charles Darwin

Appendix B: From Voyage of the Beagle: Excerpts from Journal of Researches into the Geology and Natural History of the Various Countries Visited by H.M.S. Beagle (1839; 2nd ed. 1845)

Appendix C: From Darwin’s Notebooks

Appendix D: From the 1844 Manuscript

Appendix E: Letters

Appendix F: From The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871)

Appendix G: Contextual Materials

Register of Names

Index to the Introduction, Darwin’s Historical Sketch, and the Appendices

About the Author

Joseph Carroll, a Professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, has published widely on Darwin and his influence.

Reviews

“This edition of The Origin of Species is a welcome addition to the field. This volume brings together all the important primary material necessary to understanding Darwin and his milieu, giving students of Victorian science and the history of evolutionary biology a wonderful resource. Carroll combines Darwin's own work—including excerpts from his notebooks and letters, as well as appropriate passages from The Descent of Man—with excerpts from important precursors, supporters, and fellow scientists. The edition, in bringing all these materials together for the first time, is invaluable.” - Lesley B. Cormack, University of Alberta

“A pioneer in applying Darwinian thought to the analysis of literary texts, Joseph Carroll makes the Darwinian revolution beautifully intelligible in this edition by providing both a fine introduction and an illuminating collection of historical materials.” - Don Brown, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Joseph Carroll, a pre-eminent Darwinian in the humanities and a world-class scholar, has produced a definitive edition of The Origin of Species, with a generous selection of other writings by Darwin and related authors. The critical and historical introduction—almost a small book in itself—is a major accomplishment, so well written, well informed, and altogether intelligent. The volume as a whole will be invaluable." - Harold Fromm, University of Arizona

Originally published in 1859, Darwin's revolutionary idea is revisited in this spirited and profoundly enthralling reading by Professor Richard Dawkins, who in reading Darwin's material aloud manages to rediscover old ideas and unearth some dramatic subtleties in his prose. Dawkins offers a well-pronounced, pitch-perfect delivery and smartly never attempts to turn the reading into a performance from Darwin's point of view. Instead, Dawkins delivers the material from his own context as a modern-day interpreter of the classical work. Dawkins also splendidly adapts this abridgment, leaving out sections of Darwin's original theories that have been discredited by modern science. Dawkins says he believes his alterations are what Darwin himself would have wished for the recording, and the final result is an absolutely astounding glimpse into life as we know it. (Aug.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"This edition of The Origin of Species is a welcome addition to the field. This volume brings together all the important primary material necessary to understanding Darwin and his milieu, giving students of Victorian science and the history of evolutionary biology a wonderful resource. Carroll combines Darwin's own work-including excerpts from his notebooks and letters, as well as appropriate passages from The Descent of Man-with excerpts from important precursors, supporters, and fellow scientists. The edition, in bringing all these materials together for the first time, is invaluable." - Lesley B. Cormack, University of Alberta

"A pioneer in applying Darwinian thought to the analysis of literary texts, Joseph Carroll makes the Darwinian revolution beautifully intelligible in this edition by providing both a fine introduction and an illuminating collection of historical materials." - Don Brown, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Joseph Carroll, a pre-eminent Darwinian in the humanities and a world-class scholar, has produced a definitive edition of The Origin of Species, with a generous selection of other writings by Darwin and related authors. The critical and historical introduction-almost a small book in itself-is a major accomplishment, so well written, well informed, and altogether intelligent. The volume as a whole will be invaluable." - Harold Fromm, University of Arizona