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Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches by Charles Darwin, Charles Darwin
yellowbeard's review against another edition
5.0
So sad to have come to the end of my voyage aboard the Beagle (my weekly commute) in which I've shared my cabin with the magnificent Darwin.
These are the abridged notes of Darwin's journal which he wrote during his five-year excursion as Captain Fitzroy's companion aboard the Beagle. Every stop brings a tale of the natural history, the strange and enchanting environments, the entanglements with the local populations and the impressions that these scenes made upon the young Darwin. Of course he hadn't developed his theories at this point but you can see the pennies poised to drop and all the evidence he collates as he goes is deliciously spread out on the table for us to see.
The is a real journey of adventure. Darwin brings to life his experiences both on board the 'wonderful little ship' as he puts it, and those he takes on shore and one can't help but imagine what an intrepid voyage it must have been. I really enjoyed the way he gathers information, and with a clearly quizzical mindset sets about gathering more before offering mere thoughts and suggestions and never jumping directly to conclusions. Clearly those all come in strides in the years later.
I'm really looking forward to reading his subsequent works.
Highly recommended.
These are the abridged notes of Darwin's journal which he wrote during his five-year excursion as Captain Fitzroy's companion aboard the Beagle. Every stop brings a tale of the natural history, the strange and enchanting environments, the entanglements with the local populations and the impressions that these scenes made upon the young Darwin. Of course he hadn't developed his theories at this point but you can see the pennies poised to drop and all the evidence he collates as he goes is deliciously spread out on the table for us to see.
The is a real journey of adventure. Darwin brings to life his experiences both on board the 'wonderful little ship' as he puts it, and those he takes on shore and one can't help but imagine what an intrepid voyage it must have been. I really enjoyed the way he gathers information, and with a clearly quizzical mindset sets about gathering more before offering mere thoughts and suggestions and never jumping directly to conclusions. Clearly those all come in strides in the years later.
I'm really looking forward to reading his subsequent works.
Highly recommended.
benburns's review against another edition
5.0
Yes, it's 500 pages and you have to wade through a lot of dry geology. But the little moments make it worthwhile -- it's like reading a Jules Verne travel adventure, but real. Darwin combines his incredible observational talent and extremely broad, deep knowledge of 1830s science (even though he's only in his 20s) to describe all sorts of marvelous details from his 5-year trip around the southern hemisphere.
Some favorite aspects:
- Marveling at crazy finds, coincidences, and epic vistas -- earthquakes, volcanoes, calving glaciers, huge fossils, atolls, bioluminescence, and lots of bizarre phenomena you still didn't know existed, 200 years later. Red snow! Rainbow mountains with high-elevation fossil seashells!
- Sharp cultural observations that rotate between reverent, wry, racist, dull, touching, and progressive even for today. And sometimes even sassy (my favorite). Detailed enough to capture the whole daily life of, say, an 1830s Argentinian cowboy and his lasso. It makes you really feel the enormity of time and space - only a fraction of human history separates you and that cowboy, but so much has changed.
- Wild stories of first and early contact with aboriginal populations
- Reading along as he thinks through the earliest hints of natural selection, evolution and extinction, plate tectonics, germ theory, and more. He's alive at a time when you could discover some huge part of science, by yourself, through careful observation -- just like I wanted to do as a kid -- and you get to watch his gears turn. He doesn't quite have a eureka moment on any of these, but gets really close.
- Darwin just knowing so much more about how nature works than the people he meets do.
- Occasional poetic stretches where he gets worked up about, say, the eternal balance of power between the waves and coral, or the competing advantages of living among tropical evergreens vs. getting to see spring and fall leaves in England. Or how every young naturalist should take a traveling adventure.
- Unintentionally funny moments like a missionary lasting just one week with natives, or Darwin riding a tortoise ("I frequently got on their backs, and then giving a few raps on the hinder part of their shells, they would rise up and walk away; but I found it very difficult to keep my balance").
If you're thinking of reading this:
1. Pair with Google Maps! Following along on satellite maps and seeing the views he describes - and how things have changed since the 1830s - was so cool.
2. Consider just reading a selection of a few of the best chapters (ordered here by priority - chronological order doesn't matter). The whole thing is free online.
- Chapter 10, Tierra del Fuego
- Chapter 15, Passage of the Cordillera
- Chapter 17, Galapagos Archipelago
- Chapter 8, Banda Oriental and Patagonia
Some favorite aspects:
- Marveling at crazy finds, coincidences, and epic vistas -- earthquakes, volcanoes, calving glaciers, huge fossils, atolls, bioluminescence, and lots of bizarre phenomena you still didn't know existed, 200 years later. Red snow! Rainbow mountains with high-elevation fossil seashells!
- Sharp cultural observations that rotate between reverent, wry, racist, dull, touching, and progressive even for today. And sometimes even sassy (my favorite). Detailed enough to capture the whole daily life of, say, an 1830s Argentinian cowboy and his lasso. It makes you really feel the enormity of time and space - only a fraction of human history separates you and that cowboy, but so much has changed.
- Wild stories of first and early contact with aboriginal populations
- Reading along as he thinks through the earliest hints of natural selection, evolution and extinction, plate tectonics, germ theory, and more. He's alive at a time when you could discover some huge part of science, by yourself, through careful observation -- just like I wanted to do as a kid -- and you get to watch his gears turn. He doesn't quite have a eureka moment on any of these, but gets really close.
- Darwin just knowing so much more about how nature works than the people he meets do.
- Occasional poetic stretches where he gets worked up about, say, the eternal balance of power between the waves and coral, or the competing advantages of living among tropical evergreens vs. getting to see spring and fall leaves in England. Or how every young naturalist should take a traveling adventure.
- Unintentionally funny moments like a missionary lasting just one week with natives, or Darwin riding a tortoise ("I frequently got on their backs, and then giving a few raps on the hinder part of their shells, they would rise up and walk away; but I found it very difficult to keep my balance").
If you're thinking of reading this:
1. Pair with Google Maps! Following along on satellite maps and seeing the views he describes - and how things have changed since the 1830s - was so cool.
2. Consider just reading a selection of a few of the best chapters (ordered here by priority - chronological order doesn't matter). The whole thing is free online.
- Chapter 10, Tierra del Fuego
- Chapter 15, Passage of the Cordillera
- Chapter 17, Galapagos Archipelago
- Chapter 8, Banda Oriental and Patagonia
stormhawk's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Journal from Darwin's five-year trip on the Beagle to study natural history. As a typical journal, there was some good stuff and dry stuff. Overall I enjoyed picking away at it over several months. I especially liked his social commentary and some religious comments here and there. Given modern-day science would he still be an evolutionist? Not sure he would be.
fioraorsola's review against another edition
Had to return to the library before I finished
nathanjhunt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
My 1st book finished in 2020.
Overall very enjoyable. Some long and dull sections relating to the sea and geology. Hard to follow what he was talking about without prior knowledge. But very adventurous and inspiring to travel.
Overall very enjoyable. Some long and dull sections relating to the sea and geology. Hard to follow what he was talking about without prior knowledge. But very adventurous and inspiring to travel.
baruchbarnes's review against another edition
I understand historical context etc etc but also it is deeply exhausting to listen to hours and hours of Darwin describing horrific racism and genocide against indigenous people and Black people with not enough disgust. Even when he disapproves, he still praises the people committing the evils and I don't have the patience to wait for him to evolve like a couple of reviews said he eventually does.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Genocide, Xenophobia, and Slavery
schnoebs13's review against another edition
4.0
This book is the story of Charles Darwin’s experiences while traveling the world of the now famous Beagle. He was sent by the crown to travel to different countries and record observations, plant and animal species, and any other information that would be useful for future decisions and actions taken by the crown. This voyage and the observations taken from it were the foundation behind Darwin’s famous and influential book On the Origin of Species which forever changed the field of science with the introduction of the concepts of evolution.
I’m happy that I’ve read a few books on Darwin and the people who came before him before going into this. It helped me to see the influences others have had on him while also pointing out certain views he held. One of those comes with his views on slavery. Clearly written during the time of slavery, you can see how he thinks many are ok with their status as slaves and the work they do. But as his experiences continue, I think he learned a bit more on what the actual nature of slavery was. This too can be said about his views on indigenous populations. At times he feels the way they are treated is fine while at others he comments on how inhuman the actions are taken on them. Additionally, he makes a comment saying he doesn’t see how indigenous populations can last at the sizes they are; not with the battles being waged between the tribes and against the Christians. Seeing his views on this and knowing the outcome shows to me at least how well he is at observing populations and how their actions can have long term effects.
He’s political comments reflected heavily on the times. In relation to colonization, he comments that it would be so different if English colonists got to a certain part of South America first where there could have been noble towns all along the rivers. But because that wasn’t the case “the country [would] have to learn, like every other South American state, that a republic cannot succeed till it contains a certain body of men imbued with the principles of justice and honour.” This favors the view that colonists viewed themselves as saviors and that they were bettering the regions they overtook. As the book goes on, Darwin comments on how pathetic certain indigenous tribes are and how they lack certain amenities so clearly they must be miserable. Later in the book, he even compares indigenous people to behaving as slaves. This was due to their habits of doing exactly what the white individuals asked them to do without question or even asking for some form of reimbursement for their services. Even though I knew a decent amount of background going into this, I wasn’t expecting the level of political and cultural commentary. I thought it would stick primarily to environmental observations. Definitely got more out of this book than I expected and provides a great opportunity to reflect on the time period.
Something that heavily got my attention and reflects on the time when the voyage occurred is a quote from one of the indigenous people Darwin recorded. When they were experiencing sugar for the first time, one noted “and it is only because we are poor Indians, and know nothing; but it was not so when we had a King.” This really highlights the changes that have occurred during colonization and I really appreciate all the documentation that occurred in this book by Darwin. Obviously the way these peoples were treated by European countries was not ok but efforts like Darwin’s voyage have helped record many details that might have been lost to the past if it weren’t for these records. On the other hand though, imagining what Europeans would be like if a South American nation sent over a person to document their resources and people would cause quite a conversation.
In the end, his views on slavery were a bit all over the place for me but that might be from the fact that the voyage lasted so many years and his views slowly changed. In the last chapter, Darwin commented “I thank God, I shall never again visit a slave-country.” It’s interesting hearing the different views he had on slavery and indigenous populations with their relation to his position on the Beagle. Reading these perspectives definitely makes you think and reflect on modern society and how we treat the black and indigenous communities today.
One of the greatest things about this book though is hearing his observations on nature. Seeing the detailed descriptions of the environment back then truly shows how things have changed since his voyage. With that being said, you can clearly see how his understanding of the environment was heavily shaped by many scientists before him, including Humbolt. A great example is hearing him discuss the many different features of biogeography.
The willingness to reflect on how others in the scientific community might observe something compared to how he looks at things was a really interesting approach. I think this also reflects highly on the time period. The scientific community has moved to a more specialized field of study rather than a more generalist approach similar to how Darwin works. Additionally his efforts to record local knowledge about the region help us to understand exactly what it was like back then for these communities to live in these environments and also provided great opportunity to gain observations that could only been seen over several trips or many years. I think this value of local knowledge has been lost at times in the scientific community but it feels like a lot of the value is being reestablished especially with the push towards climate resiliency.
Many comments throughout this book show the reader how he was starting to form his ideas around evolution and the connections between changes in subspecies and also extinction. A good example of this is from the chapter on Falkland Islands where he comments that if a scientist didn’t already know, he would have thought a species of hare was a new one rather than one already brought over from the Eastern Hemisphere. The connection with the fox is also really interesting. Darwin notes that if humans continue in their actions, he expects it to end up like the dodo very quickly.
As you get further into the book and reach the Galapagos Archipelago chapter, the major finds he will later develop off of really stand out. His discussion on finches and how “one might really fancy that from an original paucity of birds in this archipelago; one species have been taken and modified for different ends.” Here he points out how the changes were specific and were meant for distinct purposes. One thing I really liked was that in relation to differences between the island, Darwin notes that we wasn’t fully aware that they were so distinct from each other if it wasn’t for an offhand comment by a vice-governor saying he could tell the differences of tortoises based off of what island they were from.
When he learned about the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Talcahuano, you see him starting to make larger connections between human society and nature. Darwin notes that this type of natural disaster can bring any country to its knees and continues on with what the impacts could possibly be if England was unlucky enough to be in a region where earthquakes impacted them. The discussion on how it would prevent governmental structure from keeping records and collecting taxes was extremely interesting and makes you think about how where a country is located and with what types of natural disasters might occur there can really give it an advantage over other countries.
Lastly, during his time in Northern Chile, he noted the locations of many deserted indigenous settlements which were acknowledged as useless by the locals due to lack of water, good soil, and being too close to the snow level of the mountains. Darwin then goes on to talk about how he believes these areas have risen drastically in height over the years and that when the settlements were new, they were most likely in areas where the climate was different and the land was a lot more prosperous. This plays heavily into the history of the world and the changes in nature over long periods of time that he is so well known for.
Overall, I’m really happy that I finally read this. It provided me with the opportunity to heavily reflect on many topics and their relations to the work I do and the history behind my field and my education. Definitely looking forward to picking up origins of species in the future.
I’m happy that I’ve read a few books on Darwin and the people who came before him before going into this. It helped me to see the influences others have had on him while also pointing out certain views he held. One of those comes with his views on slavery. Clearly written during the time of slavery, you can see how he thinks many are ok with their status as slaves and the work they do. But as his experiences continue, I think he learned a bit more on what the actual nature of slavery was. This too can be said about his views on indigenous populations. At times he feels the way they are treated is fine while at others he comments on how inhuman the actions are taken on them. Additionally, he makes a comment saying he doesn’t see how indigenous populations can last at the sizes they are; not with the battles being waged between the tribes and against the Christians. Seeing his views on this and knowing the outcome shows to me at least how well he is at observing populations and how their actions can have long term effects.
He’s political comments reflected heavily on the times. In relation to colonization, he comments that it would be so different if English colonists got to a certain part of South America first where there could have been noble towns all along the rivers. But because that wasn’t the case “the country [would] have to learn, like every other South American state, that a republic cannot succeed till it contains a certain body of men imbued with the principles of justice and honour.” This favors the view that colonists viewed themselves as saviors and that they were bettering the regions they overtook. As the book goes on, Darwin comments on how pathetic certain indigenous tribes are and how they lack certain amenities so clearly they must be miserable. Later in the book, he even compares indigenous people to behaving as slaves. This was due to their habits of doing exactly what the white individuals asked them to do without question or even asking for some form of reimbursement for their services. Even though I knew a decent amount of background going into this, I wasn’t expecting the level of political and cultural commentary. I thought it would stick primarily to environmental observations. Definitely got more out of this book than I expected and provides a great opportunity to reflect on the time period.
Something that heavily got my attention and reflects on the time when the voyage occurred is a quote from one of the indigenous people Darwin recorded. When they were experiencing sugar for the first time, one noted “and it is only because we are poor Indians, and know nothing; but it was not so when we had a King.” This really highlights the changes that have occurred during colonization and I really appreciate all the documentation that occurred in this book by Darwin. Obviously the way these peoples were treated by European countries was not ok but efforts like Darwin’s voyage have helped record many details that might have been lost to the past if it weren’t for these records. On the other hand though, imagining what Europeans would be like if a South American nation sent over a person to document their resources and people would cause quite a conversation.
In the end, his views on slavery were a bit all over the place for me but that might be from the fact that the voyage lasted so many years and his views slowly changed. In the last chapter, Darwin commented “I thank God, I shall never again visit a slave-country.” It’s interesting hearing the different views he had on slavery and indigenous populations with their relation to his position on the Beagle. Reading these perspectives definitely makes you think and reflect on modern society and how we treat the black and indigenous communities today.
One of the greatest things about this book though is hearing his observations on nature. Seeing the detailed descriptions of the environment back then truly shows how things have changed since his voyage. With that being said, you can clearly see how his understanding of the environment was heavily shaped by many scientists before him, including Humbolt. A great example is hearing him discuss the many different features of biogeography.
The willingness to reflect on how others in the scientific community might observe something compared to how he looks at things was a really interesting approach. I think this also reflects highly on the time period. The scientific community has moved to a more specialized field of study rather than a more generalist approach similar to how Darwin works. Additionally his efforts to record local knowledge about the region help us to understand exactly what it was like back then for these communities to live in these environments and also provided great opportunity to gain observations that could only been seen over several trips or many years. I think this value of local knowledge has been lost at times in the scientific community but it feels like a lot of the value is being reestablished especially with the push towards climate resiliency.
Many comments throughout this book show the reader how he was starting to form his ideas around evolution and the connections between changes in subspecies and also extinction. A good example of this is from the chapter on Falkland Islands where he comments that if a scientist didn’t already know, he would have thought a species of hare was a new one rather than one already brought over from the Eastern Hemisphere. The connection with the fox is also really interesting. Darwin notes that if humans continue in their actions, he expects it to end up like the dodo very quickly.
As you get further into the book and reach the Galapagos Archipelago chapter, the major finds he will later develop off of really stand out. His discussion on finches and how “one might really fancy that from an original paucity of birds in this archipelago; one species have been taken and modified for different ends.” Here he points out how the changes were specific and were meant for distinct purposes. One thing I really liked was that in relation to differences between the island, Darwin notes that we wasn’t fully aware that they were so distinct from each other if it wasn’t for an offhand comment by a vice-governor saying he could tell the differences of tortoises based off of what island they were from.
When he learned about the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Talcahuano, you see him starting to make larger connections between human society and nature. Darwin notes that this type of natural disaster can bring any country to its knees and continues on with what the impacts could possibly be if England was unlucky enough to be in a region where earthquakes impacted them. The discussion on how it would prevent governmental structure from keeping records and collecting taxes was extremely interesting and makes you think about how where a country is located and with what types of natural disasters might occur there can really give it an advantage over other countries.
Lastly, during his time in Northern Chile, he noted the locations of many deserted indigenous settlements which were acknowledged as useless by the locals due to lack of water, good soil, and being too close to the snow level of the mountains. Darwin then goes on to talk about how he believes these areas have risen drastically in height over the years and that when the settlements were new, they were most likely in areas where the climate was different and the land was a lot more prosperous. This plays heavily into the history of the world and the changes in nature over long periods of time that he is so well known for.
Overall, I’m really happy that I finally read this. It provided me with the opportunity to heavily reflect on many topics and their relations to the work I do and the history behind my field and my education. Definitely looking forward to picking up origins of species in the future.
apatrick's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely before-bed reading. Darwin was a very accessible writer. Like history? You'll probably like this. Like natural sciences? You'll probably like this. Like traveling? You'll probably like this. Something for everyone -- anthropology, geology, even sailing. It's Darwin's notes on his travels all over the world.
I feel like with the Kindle edition I might have been missing some illustrations, but until the semester is over, I'm trying to avoid libraries, so I am not sure. I really like that I could pick up this book any time and not feel lost, since it's not a narrative.
I feel like with the Kindle edition I might have been missing some illustrations, but until the semester is over, I'm trying to avoid libraries, so I am not sure. I really like that I could pick up this book any time and not feel lost, since it's not a narrative.