Re-issue edition. A study of Darwin's life and influence which combines biography and cultural history, and which tries to disentangle the complex motivations that have led people to their various evaluations of Darwin the scientist and Darwinian theory.
General editor's preface; Preface; 1. The problem of interpretation; 2. Evolution before The Origin of Species; 3. The young Darwin; 4. The voyage of the Beagle; 5. The crucial years, London 1837-1842; 6. The years of development; 7. Going public; 8. The emergence of Darwinism; 9. The opponents of Darwinism; 10. Human origins; 11. Darwin and the modern world; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
Peter Bowler has fulfilled the obligation to explain the significance of Darwin's work to a more general audience, seizing the opportunity to transmit the conclusions of recent scholarship. British Journal for the History of Science "...a comprehensive survey of Darwin in and out of his own time and a sound introduction to recent scholarship." Times Literary Supplement