Natural History Museum London

In Darwin's "On the Origin of Species", two of the fourteen chapters are about the fossil record. But the author of this book reckons that the importance of fossils for the development of Darwin's ideas - particularly the fossils he collected during his voyage round the world - is often overlooked. If that is so, he has certainly done a good job of setting the record straight.

As Lister writes: "On the very first page of "The Origin of Species", Darwin summarized the two key factors that had, show more thanks to his observations on the Beagle voyage, led him to accept the theory of evolution. One was the distribution of animal and plant species, especially on islands. The second was the evidence of fossils - especially the relation of extinct forms with living species. While the former - particularly the biota of the Galapagos Islands - has received widespread attention, the latter is far less appreciated and forms the subject of this book."

I found some chapters of the book more interesting than others, but overall it is certainly worth five stars. And it is beautifully illustrated. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is interested in Darwin, the Voyage of the Beagle, the development of evolutionary theory, or fossils. show less

WILD PLANET is an enormously-entertaining book showcasing the work of various photographers who have won the 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' award. The book features glorious, full-color images of tigers, elephants, crocs, rhinos, birds, bats, sharks, meerkats, toads, geese, cheetahs, whales, bees, gorillas, cranes, jellyfish, eagles, spiders, penguins and many, many more, all shot in the wild. The wondrous photographs will appeal to wildlife lovers of all ages.

Mike O. / Marathon

show more

County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

show less

paperback

shelved at: P314