Dimensions
145 x 223 x 27mm
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 Kiwi’s Egg' 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. A shy, cautious man burdened with a profoundly radical insight, but also a breeder of pigeons, a close student of barnacles, an agnostic … and much else.
