Few men shook the Victorian world like Charles Darwin, and his story is, in many ways, the story of the 19th century. His theory of evolution, born in the age of empire and rising to prominence in the age of capitalism, transformed science, culture, and history and left a profound mark on literature, art, philosophy, religion, politics, and economics.
Historian Janet Browne, drawing on decades of research and her earlier two-volume biography of Darwin, explores his life from early adventures on the HMS Beagle to the tumult of becoming one of the first scientific celebrities with the publication of On the Origin of Species. Through personal letters and archival sources, Browne examines the development of Darwin’s ideas, his relationship with Alfred Russel Wallace, and the many people—especially his wife, Emma Wedgwood—who supported and influenced him.
Browne reveals Darwin as both a brilliant scientist and a man navigating the social and intellectual currents of his time, demonstrating how one naturalist forever changed the way life on Earth is understood.
Browne’s newest book, Darwin: A Biography, (Princeton University Press) is available for purchase.
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