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THE RELUCTANT MR. DARWIN
By: David Quammen
An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
Great Discoveries
W. W. Norton
August 2006
On Sale: July 31, 2006
Featuring: Charles Darwin
192 pages
ISBN: 0393059812
EAN: 9780393059816
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Biography
A fresh look at Darwin's most radical idea, and the mysteriously slow process by which he revealed it.
Evolution, during the early nineteenth century, was an idea in the air. Other thinkers had suggested it, but no one had proposed a cogent explanation for how evolution occurs. Then, in September 1838, a young Englishman named Charles Darwin hit upon the idea that "natural selection" among competing individuals would lead to wondrous adaptations and species diversity. Twenty-one years passed between that epiphany and publication of On the Origin of Species. The human drama and scientific basis of Darwin's twenty-one-year delay constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution.
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin is a book for everyone who has ever wondered about who this man was and what he said. Drawing from Darwin's secret "transmutation" notebooks and his personal letters, David Quammen has sketched a vivid life portrait of the man whose work never ceases to be controversial.
 Media BuzzNewsHour with Jim Lehrer - February 13, 2009
Morning Edition - September 20, 2006
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