With possibly Longitude being the only other exception Darwin is probably the best book I've read this summer. Unlike Longitude who's narrative followed many people and was only there to provide a loose association for all of the scientific topics that it wanted to cover, Darwin had a great plot, following the life of Charles Darwin.
Darwin was a very interesting figure himself. I am constantly amazed at how little "work" people in the 18th century did. Most of the great scientific people that the books I've read for this class so far have covered, Darwin included, never seemed to actually hold down a steady job for money. Rather they would subsist off of money from their parent's or dowry from marriage. It seems, I suppose, that the family association and financial support was a lot stronger in Darwin's time. I am expected, by my parents, to move out and live off of my own money.
This financial freedom allowed Darwin to participate in fantastic journeys over sea on the Beagle, that would later affect his life so much.
More Later.
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