Darwin’s Dangerous Idea

We’re just under a year away from the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” and a couple of months away from the bicentenary of his birth. As part of the celebrations, New Scientist has brought together a collection of the top ten of its in-depth articles that deal with evolution.

I’ve had a small pocket version of “The Origin of Species” for a number of years now, but this Christmas, I decided to treat myself to an altogether weightier tome: “On the Origin of Species: The Illustrated Edition”. This contains the same text that Charles Darwin penned, but it is supplemented by extracts from his autobiography, notebooks and letters, as well as a plethora of illustrations. I’m very much looking forward to re-discovering his masterwork. As the editor, David Quammen, writes in his introduction: “On the Origin of Species is a book every literate person should read. Equally important: It’s a book every literate person can enjoy”.