Surely a light version of the topic but this was just what I wanted. Lots of pictures enhanced the experience but the text was very good, too. ( )

OK sort of biography/recounting/history of Darwin's game changing 1831 trip around the world that fueled much of his theory of evolution. Not Moorehead's best book by far and seems more than a little rushed at times leaving huge gaps between what Moorehead feels are the most significant incidents on the journey. Moorehead's story of what the crucial experience was in formulating Darwin's now accepted theory is now largely discounted (Hint: it ain't the finches after all).

I wouldn't have included this in one of the great exploration/adventure narratives as the Adventure Library did. It is a great adventure, this is just not the best telling of it. ( )

A very good general study of the Voyage of the Beagle and its aftermath. ( )

A lovely description of the voyage undertaken by the Beagle, and Darwin's experiences on that trip.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Having studied evolution and read some of Darwin's work, I found it very interesting to get an inside look into the trip that led up to his formulation of evolutionary theory.
In this book we see Darwin as a young man, embarking on a trip of a lifetime. We see him initially determined to find evidence supporting Christian theories of creation, but discovering more and more evidence that makes him doubt his convictions. He is presented as a very enthusiastic and nice young man, eager to explore and to do as much research as he can during his voyage, collecting thousands of specimens, and not hesitating to travel through rough territory to study the biology and geology of the area.
We also meet the crew members - the severely religious captain, who opposes Darwin's new ideas and provides a good, skeptical sounding board for him. We get an inside view of life on board, and how they spent their time on the ship - along with some discussion of the troubles they run into along the way.
I really loved imagining Darwin coming back to the ship and spreading his newest finds out on the deck, whilst the sailors wonder why on earth he is making such a mess...

I also really loved the pictures - I have an edition with a large number of pictures and maps, with many of the pictures being reprints of the original drawings made during the voyage. ( )

As someone who doesn't read a lot of nonfiction, I imagined slogging through this, perhaps a chapter a day. I was so wrong! I read this straight through and loved it! ( )