Review by Choice Review
This work describes Charles Darwin's five-year journey around the world, the adventure instrumental in the development of his theory of evolution. It focuses on the fossils Darwin discovered and collected and emphasizes their importance in influencing his thinking. The author gives special emphasis to the fossil remains of such extinct mammals as Toxodon, the giant sloth--originally called Megatherium by Darwin. Lister (Natural History Museum, London) relates Darwin's efforts to ship the collected specimens back to England, with the assistance of people he befriended in South America and associates in London. The storytelling quality and attention to detail in Lister's approach makes this work uniquely compelling. Perhaps the most fascinating illustration--in a book richly illustrated with examples of the places Darwin visited and the fossils he collected--is a reconstruction depicting Darwin in his hammock, slung over the chart table in what served as his cabin aboard the Beagle. Lister offers readers fascinating glimpses of Darwin's daily life at sea. Overall, this account of Darwin's epochal journey is a fine supplement to previous narratives and will interest general readers as well as historians of natural history. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Joel S. Schwartz, emeritus, CUNY College of Staten Island, Professor emeritus
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
The voyage Charles Darwin took in 1835 to the Galapagos Islands, where he catalogued a colorful variety of finches, is often cited in books about the groundbreaking scientist's life as the primary inspiration for his insights into evolution. Yet Darwin's five-year journey involved many inland excursions, including three trips to the Andes, where he gathered a treasure trove of fossils that also played an enormous role in developing his theories. As a researcher at London's Natural History Museum as well as a fossil expert, Lister takes advantage of his easy access to much of Darwin's archive to reveal how indispensable those assorted skeletal remains and geological artifacts were to Darwin's research. Lister recounts Darwin's full itinerary in chronology, along with descriptions of key findings during each ground-based expedition, including major discoveries about extinct mammals and coral-reef formation. Richly illustrated with photos from the fossil collection and line drawings produced when Darwin was alive, Lister's work is an essential acquisition for every library prizing quality books on evolution.--Hays, Carl Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When Charles Darwin returned to England after five years on the HMS Beagle, he brought back more than the outline of the theory of evolution, as Lister elucidates in this well-researched look at an aspect of Darwin scholarship. As Lister, a scientist in the Earth Sciences Department at the Natural History Museum, London, so well explains, Darwin was also responsible for delivering a huge array of fossils to England that both shaped his ideas on evolution and influenced the thinking of the scientific community at large. Lister also demonstrates that many of Darwin's original hypotheses based on the fossils, such as the geological origin of southern South America and the origin of atolls, continue to prove useful. The range of fossils discussed-from some of the largest mammals ever found in South America (such as the Notiomastodon platensis) to microscopic algae, as well as pieces of petrified wood-speaks to the breadth of Darwin's interests and his ability to meld such divergent data into a coherent whole. This is a welcome addition to the ever-growing body of literature dealing with the life and work of Darwin. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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