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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
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.
There are certain things that spring immediately to mind when you think of the name Charles Darwin. things like evolution, science and such foremost among them.
What doesn't - for me anyway - spring immediately to mind, is funny or exciting...
Until I read this book. It was not only surprisingly readable, but also very witty at times, and who knew Darwin had a flair for the dramatic? There was a part about earthquakes and tsunamis that I thought was particularly exciting.
This book isn't going to work for everyone. If you hated [b:Moby-Dick or, the Whale|153747|Moby-Dick or, the Whale|Herman Melville|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327940656l/153747._SY75_.jpg|2409320] because of the whale info sections, then move along, you are not going to enjoy this book. If you enjoy travel books and natural science or anthropology, there is a chance you will.
What doesn't - for me anyway - spring immediately to mind, is funny or exciting...
Until I read this book. It was not only surprisingly readable, but also very witty at times, and who knew Darwin had a flair for the dramatic? There was a part about earthquakes and tsunamis that I thought was particularly exciting.
This book isn't going to work for everyone. If you hated [b:Moby-Dick or, the Whale|153747|Moby-Dick or, the Whale|Herman Melville|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327940656l/153747._SY75_.jpg|2409320] because of the whale info sections, then move along, you are not going to enjoy this book. If you enjoy travel books and natural science or anthropology, there is a chance you will.
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I want very much to be the kind of person who finds this fascinating. But, alas, it was boring for me.
This book is Charles Darwin's journal of his 5-year voyage on the HMS Beagle.
This journey marked the second of Captain Fitzroy and the Beagle but the first for 22-year-old Charles Darwin, who had decided to become a naturalist like Alexander von Humboldt.
Darwin had stopped studying medicine and refused to become a priest so the persuasion of an uncle was necessary for Charles' father to allow (and fund) the journey in the first place. But he did.
They went from England to Tenerife, Cape Verde, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, the Falkland Islands, Valparaiso, Lima, the Galápagos Islands, before leaving South America to sail on to New Zealand, Sidney, Hobart (Tasmania) and King George's Sound in Australia, Cocos Island, Mauritius, Cape Town, then back to Bahia, Cape Verde and the Azores before returning to England.
Thus, they were on quite a tight schedule which explains why Darwin's time on the Galápagos was cut short - an important detail because he made his most profound discoveries there that later resulted in his most famous work and if he had had more time, maybe he would have remembered to label those finches and/or keep at least one tortoise for his studies (but more of that in my review for The Origin of Species).
While the Beagle was a relatively small ship, Darwin nevertheless filled her to the brim with specimen - some sailors getting enthused and helping him, much to the dismay of a few others.
He always kept a meticulous journal that served as a diary as much as a study book where he jutted down all his observations. Thus, we can not only see, while reading this book now, what he discovered but also what his thought process was like. We read of him being severely seasick at first, his fascination with nature, we find out that he was anti-slavery (sadly, not for the same pure reasons Humboldt had), what he thought of certain people he was with or encountered along the way.
We also see the influence of his paternal grandfather Erasmus Darwin, who had laid a few of the foundations of Darwin's theories just like Humboldt had.
A note on Darwin's view of indiginous people. Certainly, some thoughts he wrote down are cringeworthy from today's perspective and were especially disappointing after initially learning that he was anti-slavery. However, for a man of his day and age (not counting the unapologetic anomaly that was Humboldt) he was very progressive.
What I loved above all else was that we get to revel in Darwin's beautiful writing style that brings to life the sea, jungles and various animals and plants. He had a way of transporting the reader to the places he had been to and I felt as if I was making the journey with him while reading this.
This vivid writing style, that made this journal appear almost like a novel, really surprised and delighted me as I had not expected it. In fact, I got so swept up in the narrative that I found myself sitting at the edge of my seat whenever Darwin's musings showed him getting close to the scientific truth but not quite despite me knowing that it would take him a little longer yet.
A fantastic feat and I love that my edition shows sketches by Darwin himself as well as paintings of landscapes he's been to or animals (now extinct) that he encountered. However, for all those wanting the highlights of the journey, I can also recommend the audio version narrated by Dawkins which I listened to simultaneously (I know, ME endorsing an abridged version, the scandal)! ;)
This journey marked the second of Captain Fitzroy and the Beagle but the first for 22-year-old Charles Darwin, who had decided to become a naturalist like Alexander von Humboldt.
Darwin had stopped studying medicine and refused to become a priest so the persuasion of an uncle was necessary for Charles' father to allow (and fund) the journey in the first place. But he did.
They went from England to Tenerife, Cape Verde, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, the Falkland Islands, Valparaiso, Lima, the Galápagos Islands, before leaving South America to sail on to New Zealand, Sidney, Hobart (Tasmania) and King George's Sound in Australia, Cocos Island, Mauritius, Cape Town, then back to Bahia, Cape Verde and the Azores before returning to England.
Thus, they were on quite a tight schedule which explains why Darwin's time on the Galápagos was cut short - an important detail because he made his most profound discoveries there that later resulted in his most famous work and if he had had more time, maybe he would have remembered to label those finches and/or keep at least one tortoise for his studies (but more of that in my review for The Origin of Species).
While the Beagle was a relatively small ship, Darwin nevertheless filled her to the brim with specimen - some sailors getting enthused and helping him, much to the dismay of a few others.
He always kept a meticulous journal that served as a diary as much as a study book where he jutted down all his observations. Thus, we can not only see, while reading this book now, what he discovered but also what his thought process was like. We read of him being severely seasick at first, his fascination with nature, we find out that he was anti-slavery (sadly, not for the same pure reasons Humboldt had), what he thought of certain people he was with or encountered along the way.
We also see the influence of his paternal grandfather Erasmus Darwin, who had laid a few of the foundations of Darwin's theories just like Humboldt had.
A note on Darwin's view of indiginous people. Certainly, some thoughts he wrote down are cringeworthy from today's perspective and were especially disappointing after initially learning that he was anti-slavery. However, for a man of his day and age (not counting the unapologetic anomaly that was Humboldt) he was very progressive.
What I loved above all else was that we get to revel in Darwin's beautiful writing style that brings to life the sea, jungles and various animals and plants. He had a way of transporting the reader to the places he had been to and I felt as if I was making the journey with him while reading this.
This vivid writing style, that made this journal appear almost like a novel, really surprised and delighted me as I had not expected it. In fact, I got so swept up in the narrative that I found myself sitting at the edge of my seat whenever Darwin's musings showed him getting close to the scientific truth but not quite despite me knowing that it would take him a little longer yet.
A fantastic feat and I love that my edition shows sketches by Darwin himself as well as paintings of landscapes he's been to or animals (now extinct) that he encountered. However, for all those wanting the highlights of the journey, I can also recommend the audio version narrated by Dawkins which I listened to simultaneously (I know, ME endorsing an abridged version, the scandal)! ;)
reflective
What a journey it was reading this book. From time to time I got annoyed at the way in which native where approached, though I know it was 200 years ago and the context was "different"... Anyways, I found it super interesting to be reading someone's diary. Darwin was honest about what he thought of the peoples he met at the new lands he visited; and about the goal of the entire Voyage. Also, his reasoning about the theories he and his collegues came up with for the geography of the territory and the evolution of the species, was amazing. Fuly recommend if you are interested on those topics; just keep in mind when was it written ;)
A very long read so better to read intermittently. It can also be a bit long winded but despite being a scientist, Darwin is very descriptive and paints a very good picture of every aspect of his travels.
I am pretty sure I read this as a teenager, about 40 years ago, and liked it, mainly for the illustrations. I decided to have another look…
Places Darwin visits with the HMS Beagle:
1. Chapter I: St. Jago–Cape de Verde Islands (St. Paul's Rocks, Fernando Noronha, 20 Feb.., Bahia, or San Salvador, Brazil, 29 Feb..)
2. Chapter II: Rio de Janeiro
3. Chapter III: Maldonado
4. Chapter IV: Río Negro to Bahia Blanca
5. Chapter V: Bahía Blanca
6. Chapter VI: Bahia Blanca to Buenos Aires
7. Chapter VII: Buenos Aires to St. Fe
8. Chapter VIII: Banda Oriental
9. Chapter IX: Patagonia
10. Chapter X: Santa Cruz–Patagonia
11. Chapter XI: Tierra del Fuego
12. Chapter XII: The Falkland Islands
13. Chapter XIII: Strait of Magellan
14. Chapter XIV: Central Chile
15. Chapter XV: Chiloe and Chonos Islands
16. Chapter XVI: Chiloe and Concepcion
17. Chapter XVII: Passage of Cordillera
18. Chapter XVIII: Northern Chile and Peru
19. Chapter XIX: Galapagos Archipelago
20. Chapter XX: Tahiti and New Zealand
21. Chapter XXI: Australia (Van Diemen's Land)
22. Chapter XXII: Coral Formations (Keeling or Cocos Islands)
23. Chapter XXIII: Mauritius to England
I read the first few chapters, then skimmed my way roughly to the middle of the book, looking at the illustrations and reading a bit here and there. The writing doesn‘t feel as dry and dated as I feared, but all together this didn‘t grab me enough to properly read it in full. That‘s just me though. I recommend reading the Goodreads review of my buddy Trish…
P.S.: I found a fun website detailing the voyage, with an interactive map: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=dee8797954fe4526953075225c26646c
Places Darwin visits with the HMS Beagle:
1. Chapter I: St. Jago–Cape de Verde Islands (St. Paul's Rocks, Fernando Noronha, 20 Feb.., Bahia, or San Salvador, Brazil, 29 Feb..)
2. Chapter II: Rio de Janeiro
3. Chapter III: Maldonado
4. Chapter IV: Río Negro to Bahia Blanca
5. Chapter V: Bahía Blanca
6. Chapter VI: Bahia Blanca to Buenos Aires
7. Chapter VII: Buenos Aires to St. Fe
8. Chapter VIII: Banda Oriental
9. Chapter IX: Patagonia
10. Chapter X: Santa Cruz–Patagonia
11. Chapter XI: Tierra del Fuego
12. Chapter XII: The Falkland Islands
13. Chapter XIII: Strait of Magellan
14. Chapter XIV: Central Chile
15. Chapter XV: Chiloe and Chonos Islands
16. Chapter XVI: Chiloe and Concepcion
17. Chapter XVII: Passage of Cordillera
18. Chapter XVIII: Northern Chile and Peru
19. Chapter XIX: Galapagos Archipelago
20. Chapter XX: Tahiti and New Zealand
21. Chapter XXI: Australia (Van Diemen's Land)
22. Chapter XXII: Coral Formations (Keeling or Cocos Islands)
23. Chapter XXIII: Mauritius to England
I read the first few chapters, then skimmed my way roughly to the middle of the book, looking at the illustrations and reading a bit here and there. The writing doesn‘t feel as dry and dated as I feared, but all together this didn‘t grab me enough to properly read it in full. That‘s just me though. I recommend reading the Goodreads review of my buddy Trish…
P.S.: I found a fun website detailing the voyage, with an interactive map: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=dee8797954fe4526953075225c26646c
Not sure how to rate this one. It is a historical treasure and I’m glad I read it even if I took a really long break in the middle