BOOK: The Descent Of Man - Charles Darwin

Title: The Descent Of Man (The Concise Edition)
Author: Charles Darwin (selection by Carl Zimmer)
Genre: science, biology, evolution
Publisher: Plume, Penguin Group 2007 (1870)
Pages: Paperback, 416
Language: English
Rating: 8/10
Summary: This is a sort of follow up to The Origin Of Species, about the evolution of plants and all animals. The Descent Of Man specifically explores the cultural and behavioral development of people (for instance the origin of language and moral). In this edition scientist Carl Zimmer added his own modern day essays in between the sections.

Review
Carl Zimmer chose to edit out a couple of chapters in the second part of the book about sexual selection and procreation since Darwin kind of loses himself in extensive comparisons with birds (also his favorite example animal in tOoS;). The full original title of the book is The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex. I got this book as a present and at first I was disappointed that I hadn't received the original and complete edition, but after -once again- struggling with Darwin's excessive writing style I was glad I had some guidance while reading. Especially because some of Darwin's point of views were coloured by the era in which he lived. Which I found odd, since he manages to approach most other aspects of evolution rather neutral and scientifically. But the way he looks at primitive tribes and women is not very pleasant. So it was good to have Carl Zimmer put those issues in a present day perspective. It was a long read, but I'm very pleased to have finished the book. Educational for those who are interested in the subject.

BOOK: The Origin Of Species - Charles Darwin

Title: The Origin Of Species
Author: Charles Darwin
Genre: Science, Biology
Publisher: Collector's Library (2004), 1859
Pages: hardcover, 526
Language: English
Rating: 9/10
Summary: In this book Darwin outlines his theory of "descent with modification" in which he proposes that species have not been independently brought into being by a creator, but have arisen from a single common ancestor and have evolved and differentiated over time through the process of natural selection.

Review
If you kept an eye on the books I read in the past year, you already know the subject of evolution -and consequently the debate about religion- is high on my list of interests. After reading a couple of modern day books about it, I felt it was time to tackle the one that started it all.
I must admit I struggled with Darwin's writing; he uses a lot of long sentences before he gets to the point. But once I got used to his style I thouroughly enjoyed his extensive explanations. He goes out of his way to make the reader understand what he means and offers an overwhelming amount of examples to make his point. His enthusiasm is heartwarming; his many references to pigeons made me smile and reminded me of Sesame Street's Bert. But of course Darwin does not limit himself to one species to prove his theory; he applies it to the whole living world; from animals and plants to geology, Darwin covers it all. In addition he mentions a lot of other researchers and gives credit where it's due. He's also not afraid to doubt his conclusions, which is of course the basis of science and a reason to keep searching for answers to any questions that arise.

I remembered a lot of the scientific information from high school biology and found it wonderful to gain more in depth knowledge on the subject. I loved the detailed research that was provided and how Darwin makes comparisons between his conclusions and the teachings of creationists. I wasn't aware that Darwin already touched on the issue of religion. I had always thought that debate started after he published his theory. I was also surprised that he doesn't mention the word 'evolution'; as stated in the summary it's not part of the theory. Not until the final chapter does Darwin even use the word 'evolve'!
As I understand it his theory of "descent with modification" was the basis for what is now called 'the evolution theory', which is not a belief, but a scientifically accepted explanation of the development of life.

The composition of the book makes it very suitable as a reference guide; every chapter ends with a summary and the final part offers a recapitulation and conclusion of the whole book.

I loved this book and recommend it to everyone.