When I was reading Darwin's Origin of Species, I often asked myself if a particular fact or hypothesis were still accepted by scientists today. I'm not talking of evolution by natural selection, but of some fun stuff you can read in Darwin's masterpiece, such as the effects of use and disuse on variation. The title of Jones's book refers to what is probably the wildest speculation you can read in the Origins, where Darwin recounts what he heard about a bear behaving (almost) like a whale.

If (many) professional biologists don't read the Origins, ordinary people who read it are left to themselves in deciding which of Darwin's views have been abandoned by science. Jones bridges this gap, brings more examples and adds the relevant science. It is not a review of the current state of evolutionary biology but a useful, much needed companion to Darwin's book. ( )

I picked this up with great anticipation and read it with deepening disappointment. I consider this to be a failure in its own terms, that is in its stated purpose to serve as an update of Charles Darwin's great work.

I have read Darwin's Origin of Species three times, in two different editions, and this is in no way a modern replacement. Darwin carefully and logically laid out his explanations and arguments. (Parenthetically, don't judge Darwin's writing style by the summaries herein reprinted.) I don't think that Jones ever really explains evolution and natural selection. I am not certain that I could make any sense of this if I wasn't already familiar with evolution, and I find it difficult to believe that it will convince anyone who is skeptical.

His writing is, according to one's taste, lightened or made tedious by his arch remarks, tangents, and lurid tabloid examples (Eighty-year-old woman eaten by dog pack! Carrion crows eat lambs' eyes!) I think Natterings in Natural History would be a better title. Jones chatters away on topics of various relevance to Darwin's chapters; sometimes I find a particular topic interesting, otherwise I am bored. The effect is a miscellaneous collection of facts to no particular purpose. If you already have a basic understanding of evolution, which you need before you read this, you probably know a lot of the information being presented.

I almost gave up on page 90 (out of 350) being so bored as to have decided to spend time looking out the window of the bus instead of reading. The book became more interesting in the second half; I think the best way to improve it would be to dump the first half. Then, about page 244, I found myself in the midst of a chapter on geographical distribution, telling me things that I already knew, with the prospect of a second chapter of the same. Maybe I'll leap over these and go on, but with so many interesting books available on evolution, I would not recommend this one. ( )

very interesting, and a surprisingly fast read. i appreciated his modern examples, and all the arguments from genetics (his field) that Jones kept pulling in. Figured this is as close as I'll come to reading the real thing, but I surprised myself by how much I already knew on the subject. Apparently more evolution had infiltrated my sheltered, conservative secondary education than anybody intended! An absorbing read, I recommend it. ( )

I don't do it very often so this is very special - a five star rating for a book.

Steve Jones sets out to update Darwin's Origin with modern evidence and examples. He always reminds me of a cheeky schoolboy chortling through life having a wonderful time. He gives me the same impression with this book, whilst at the same time not endangering the respect we have for his knowledge of biology.

I have heard him describe his own knowledge of biology as "extremely wide and incredibly shallow." In this book it appears both wide and deep. Tales are told with assurance, simplicity and good humour.

No prior knowledge is necessary so this can act as a great introduction to this huge subject.

A cracking good read. ( )

This book follows Darwin's Origin of Species chapter by chapter, ending most of the sections with the original text, but updating the biological information from the original. The prose is very good, and it is interesting how expression has changed since Darwin, being more direct and less florid to my modern sensibility, although Darwin writes compellingly. I learned many quaint facts about evolution, but I thought the comments were a bit breezy, perhaps over-edited for conciseness. ( )