Darwin & His Children His Other Legacy

About this book

While much has been written about the life and works of Charles Darwin, the lives of his ten children remain largely unexamined. Most "Darwin books" consider his children as footnotes to the life of their famous father and close with the death of Charles Darwin.

Darwin and His Children is the only book that deals substantially with the lives of his children from their birth to their death, each in his or her own chapter. Tim Berra's Darwin and His Children explores Darwin's marriage to his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood, a devout Unitarian, who worried that her husband's lack of faith would keep them apart in eternity, and describes the early death of three children of this consanguineous marriage. Many of the other children rose to prominence in their own fields. William Darwin became a banker and tended the Darwin family's substantial wealth.

Henrietta Darwin edited Charles' books and wrote a biography of her mother. Three of Darwin's sons were knighted and elected Fellows of the Royal Society: Sir George Darwin was the world's expert on tides, Sir Francis Darwin developed the new field of plant physiology, and Sir Horace Darwin founded the world-class Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company. Major Leonard Darwin was a military man, Member of Parliament, and patron of early genetic research.

Darwin and His Children, richly illustrated with photographs of the Darwin family, demonstrates the intellectual atmosphere whirling about the Darwin household, portrays loving family relationships, and explores entertaining vignettes from their lives.

Contents

Contents
Introduction

1 Darwin's Paradigm Shift
2 Charles and Emma
3 William Erasmus Darwin 1839-1914
4 Anne Elizabeth Darwin 1841-1851
5 Mary Eleanor Darwin 1842-1842
6 Henrietta Emma Darwin 1843-1927
7 George Howard Darwin 1845-1912
8 Elizabeth Darwin 1847-1926
8 Francis Darwin 1848-1925
10 Leonard Darwin 1850-1943
11 Horace Darwin 1851-1928
12 Charles Waring Darwin 1856-1858
13 Epilogue

Appendices:
Timeline: Biological and Literary Children
Cast of Characters
References
Index
About the Author
Also by Tim M. Berra
Figure legends

Customer Reviews

Biography

Tim M. Berra is Professor Emeritus of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University, and University Professorial Fellow at Charles Darwin University in Australia. He is the author of six previous books on evolution and biology, including Charles Darwin: The Concise Story of an Extraordinary Man. He is a three-time recipient of Fulbright Fellowships to Australia.