Charles Darwin

Thanks to his family's wealth and forbearance, Dr. Darwin's gifted son could devote all his time to a passionate curiosity about the natural world. No one could have made better use of such advantages, and the young man's physical and intellectual excitement of the Beagle voyage comes freshly alive in this new biography, as do the years of painstaking work that followed that mind-altering experience. Darwin made major contributions to the study of geology, virtually invented the science of ecology, and his two major publications -- The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man -- changed forever our view of life on earth and man's place in the natural order. Cyril Aydon's account combines historical accuracy with a lucid overview of natural science. - Jacket flap.