The Voyage of the Beagle: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World [B1801]

2001 PB Modern Library reprint of the 1909 original, in nice clean condition. In 1831, Charles Darwin embarked on an expedition that, in his own words, 'determined my whole career'. The Voyage of the Beagle chronicles his five-year journey around the world and especially the coastal waters of South America as a naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle. While traveling through these unexplored countries collecting specimens, Darwin began to formulate the theories of evolution and natural selection realized in his master work, The Origin of Species. Travel memoir and scientific primer alike, The Voyage of the Beagle is a lively and accessible introduction to the mind of one of history's most influential thinkers.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This is a wonderful treat to be able to get a glimpse into Charles Darwin's discoveries. This was a really unique opportunity to see a young scientific mind at work. The twenty two year old Darwin was able to make his way on board the Beagle and he wrote down everything that he saw and after the five year voyage was done he ultimately changed how we see and understand the world."; "A product of its time. Worth reading in my opinion, but only for the foundation laid for The Origin of the Species. Overall somewhat of a slog and very obviously written in an incredibly bigoted time."; "If you are a naturalist this is a great book for you, but it was a struggle to get through it for me. I read it in preparation for a trip to the Galápagos which was covered on only six pages. I was much more interested in the people Darwin encountered along the way as opposed to the myriad of animal, bird and plant species that he described in great detail. I was impressed with Darwin's anti-slavery views expressed eloquently at the end of the book."; "Excellent read if you're visiting a location explored by Darwin! I read the chapter on the Galapagos in advance of travel and am glad I did! Well written. I intend to read other chapters if I have or will visit the areas he writes on."