Your initial reaction when viewing this book might be amazement at the work that has gone into it. It truly is monumental!
When Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man in 1871 it was noteworthy and sensational, postulating theories and opinions that were were considered scurrilous by many, and sacrilegious by even more. To even hint that humans evolved from lower life forms flew in the face of established dogma, verged on heresy and was received with horror by the religious establishment. Theories of sexual selection and the gradual modification of Homo sapiens engendered outrage and condemnation since man was deemed to have been made in the image of God, perfect in form and immutable in nature.
This annotated version is a magnum opus compiled by two experts in different fields, thereby combining the scientific and cultural aspects of Darwin's keystone work.
It is laid out in an easy-to-read format with a numerical cross reference to the original text and the explicatory notes. For those who have not previously read The Descent of Man you will be coming at it from the best possible perspective, with interpretation and historical background as you progress through the book. As someone familiar with the work, I learned on every page and had the benefit of an expanded examination of Darwin’s foundational treatise. The commentaries by the two authors are crisp, sharp, informative and welcomed. You will meet all the luminaries of the day involved in the rapidly evolving theories of the origin of man.
A couple of sections with coloured plates provide marvelous insights into the intellectual developments of the period, and are just plain visually appealing.
It is touching to see where The Beagle lay at anchor in Tierra del Fuego. I have actually gazed out at this very spot, and I visited a cemetery where two captains of The Beagle are buried, having committed suicide.
The ornamentation of male birds, driven by female sexual selection is gloriously presented.
This is one of those reference books that you know will stand the test of time. It will be as relevant and illuminating fifty years from now as it is today. A remarkable work in every way.
The Descent of Man: An Annotated Edition of Darwin's Classic Work - Princeton University Press
James T. Costa and Elizabeth E. Yale
Hardcover - US$54.95 - ISBN: 9780691194042
816 pages - 8 x 10 inches (20 x25 cm)
2 colour inserts - 77 black-and-white illustrations
Publication date: 21 April, 2026
Hola, David.
ReplyDeleteUna obra extraordinaria en todos los sentidos.
Gracias por darme a conocer "Archy y Mehitabel"
Un abrazo.
A dissenting opinion is often offensive and sacrilegious.
ReplyDelete(Galileo was put on trial...)
Courage is also needed in addition to knowledge. Many people have it, and humanity is grateful.
Good books always have a long life.
All the best. Éva
When you see religious fundamentalism of all kinds thriving in the 21st century you wonder how far we have come.
DeleteOf course, we live in a different world now and we have come far. I know that. And there is still a long way to go.
DeleteI wanted to praise scientists, explorers, astronomers... who lived before the 21st century (and much earlier) for their courage, because it was much harder to resist religious fundamentalism then than in the 21st century.
How many of them had to suffer or die for what they believed to be true against a different and strong faith?
They were brave, persistent and knowledgeable when they should have been afraid. I have all the respect for them.
Of course, the same goes for those of today.
...David, we haven't come far enough!
ReplyDeleteInteresting it seems.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds an extraordinary work of research, and a book from which to learn, at every reading.
ReplyDeleteCertainly a volume I will return to often.
DeleteThis seems like a very interesting book to me, David.
ReplyDeleteI wish you a wonderful week.
All the best, Irma
Now this is a very intriguing read, and educational too.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a very interesting book !
ReplyDeleteDarwin was a pioneer with courage and perseverance !
Bonne journée !
Anna
I really like how you brought out the weight of this edition without losing the sense of wonder around it. Your note about Tierra del Fuego added something special, it made the whole piece feel lived in rather than just academic. I hadn’t thought about how much annotations could deepen a work like this until reading your take. Did anything in the commentary change how you personally see Darwin’s arguments now?
ReplyDeleteIt didn’t change my views on Darwin’s foundational truths, but I was energized by the scholarly commentary point by point as I went through the book again. This is at least my third time reading the whole work, and I have referred to it on countless occasions.
DeleteI am deeply impressed by this fascinating book. It is truly beautifully produced. And as for Darwin? He was a man of boundless curiosity, unparalleled perseverance, and a hardworking nature.
ReplyDeleteSpring greetings:)
He was indeed, and he changed the course of civilization.
DeleteIt sounds like an interesting book for sure David :-D
ReplyDeleteDavid, you asked a question about the photo of the pond on my blog, last week. All the photos I feature on my blog are my own work. That's the pond I was visiting regularly. I am hoping to get there soon, even if I need to drive up as it's a longer walk to it. But in saying that, my walking is coming on very well :-D
This sounds like a valuable addition to the repository of knowledge and a fitting tribute to the memory of a man who, as you correctly state, changed the course of civilization.
ReplyDeleteKnowing you as I think I do, Dorothy, you would really enjoy this book.
DeleteThanks for the great review of the book, David. Darwin is perhaps one of the most important people who ever lived, next to Leonardo da Vinci. I believe that the world is going backwards, and that fundamentalism is taking over the world. It is possible that I am pessimistic, but when you see how the world is developing, I become more and more frightened.
ReplyDeleteHugs and kisses, Marit
Some of the current trends are terrifying, Marit.
DeleteA very interesting book.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this particular book by Darwin, although I've read the Origin of species a couple of times. I like the illustrations. :) Happy new week. hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteHave you read “The Voyage of the Beagle”? It’s an easy read and highly entertaining. I am sure you would enjoy it.
DeleteMany thanks for the review of this book.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Wow that must be a fascinating book and you said "an easy-to-read format" looks quite dense to me. You are quite clever reading all these books
ReplyDeleteWhat a great book!...it is always good to have great knowledge in our personal libraries!.......Abrazotes, Marcela
ReplyDeleteI know that in The Origin of Species, which came out first, Darwin purposely left out human beings, perhaps thinking it would get him in too much trouble. I wonder what change of mind led to The Descent of Man. Perhaps the first book was a best-seller and that emboldened him.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a very useful book.
ReplyDeleteAnd important and timely book here--sadly too many who could benefit from the work will never read it. How many times I have had to respond to the whole 'if people came from monkeys, why are there still monkeys' crap--I lost count a long time ago. Interestingly, I have not had such conversations here, but I had enough in the US to last a lifetime--LOL
ReplyDeleteAround 40% of the people in the US still believe in the biblical creation myth, and think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old.
DeleteBeautiful book.
ReplyDeleteA fascinating look, thanks for another great share.
ReplyDeleteThe Descent of Man is a classic, and I recently wrote about the 155th anniversary of its release. It was a publication that had a huge impact on how we as humans see ourselves and the world. An inspiration to my favourite Pyotr Kropotkin, who based anarchist ethics in Darwin's findings, but also a book with outdated views on race, gender and sexuality that are not relevant today. Darwin was a Whig, a classical liberal, and it shows - especially in this book. His views of female animals are too limited by his Victorian culture. A milestone, yet not a holy text for naturalists. This new edition looks brilliant, though.
ReplyDeleteOh my, David. This does look to be excellent.
ReplyDeleteHello David,
ReplyDeletethis is truly absolutely amazing and I love it!!!
I have always been interested in Darwin and his predictions.
If a documentary about him comes on TV (which happens quite often on NGC or Discovery), I record that too.
Thank you for this beautiful book.
Kind regards, Helma
That is a book that is worthy of the time and effort it took to create it. Thank you for sharing it with us. I hope that librarians are seeing it in the US at the Public Library Conference that starts this week, and I hope they are all buying copies for their libraries.
ReplyDeleteIn high school I took an entire year in biology about evolution - it was one of the most interesting and fascinating classes during my school "career", despite a highly boring teacher. It was the prerequisite for a class about ethology that I took the following year. Beside the German and English literature classes these are the classes I remember the most from school in a good way. I still find the subject fascinating, but I'm not sure that I would have the stamina to read such a big œuvre. Big hugs - Carola
ReplyDeleteHi David - Darwin and Russel really opened 'our' eyes to life and how it came about. That rivalry fascinates me. I'd love to read this book ... but now I suspect is beyond me - too many others ahead and 'in the pack'!! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteSeguro que es un libro precioso. Abrazos.
ReplyDelete