Review - "Origin of Species"

Posted by Alex H.

You know the spiel.

Charles Darwin sailed the seas aboard the HMS Beagle on an historic journey. The face of science was forever changed when he and Alfred Wallace independently developed their theories of evolution by natural selection. However, with the publication of 'Origin,' Darwin got the foot in the door necessary to inseparably tie his name with the theory of evolution.

First things first: this book is important.

Now that that's out of the way, how does it read? 'Origin' is difficult. You can hear Darwin stretching his arms out wide and grasping for the perfect way to explain the incompleteness of the fossil record, evolution by natural selection, or what have you. On the whole, you can only read 'Origin' ten, rarely more than twenty, pages at a time.

'Origin' is, of course, entirely historical by now. Reading 'Origin,' the reader knows that Darwin had no knowledge of basic Mendelian genetics and can be impressed with his analysis of certain patterns.

I recommend this book to someone looking for something to think about (with sufficient free time), any student of biology etc., or anyone who feels they have an understanding of the scientific theory of evolution.

Overall: 4/5 (hard to read, but thought-provoking)