Darwin for Beginners

By Jonathan Miller

Book Overview

The Beginner Books -- "Their cartoon format and irreverent wit make difficult ideas accessible and entertaining." -- Newsday aking us through the upheavals in biological thought which made The Origins... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375714588
• ISBN13: 9780375714580
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Pantheon
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.2" x 0.5" x 5.4"

Customer Reviews

A great learning Aid

This book is not exactly as the title claims 'Darwin for Beginners'. A more appropriate title would be 'Darwin for Beginners who are frustrated with reading other complicated books, but managed to get crude understanding of evolution from it.' Whew! I know, long title. But that is the truth. This well illustrated book does not approached the theory of evolution directly, but instead presents the idea from the point of view of people (biologists) proposing and discussing plausible explanations for the variation in life - explanations which sometimes reinforced and sometimes conflicted with one another. To put it another way, it explains how the idea of evolution had evolved and was accepted among the scientific community. In a very simple and easy to understand manner it gives us a window into the thinking of scientists of that time.

Fun to read

This is a great lightweight book on Darwin's life and the development of the idea of evolution. Though it would be a shame to stop an exploration of natural selection here, it's a great starting point because it provides the context in which Darwin's thoughts came to be. It also discusses objections and criticisms of natural selection, how it has been misunderstood and abused, and how Darwin himself treated problematic aspects of the theory. I don't know that the illustrations and such are very revealing or useful, but they definitely make the book easy and fun to read, though the last few pages become more text-based. Overall, it's a well executed introduction to a very influential and oft misinterpreted person. But though this book is for beginners, please don't stay one... go and read "Origin of Species."

Accurate, clever, well done

This lively, clever, humorous little book IS accurate -- "scientifically correct," in the words of Dr. Tim M. Berra of Ohio State University (author of "Evolution and the Myth of Creationism," 1990, Stanford University Press). I agree with him that it would be a great gift for students to give to their parents to help them understand evolution. The illustrations, many of which are worth a thousand words, are at once engaging, informative, and great fun. Solid history and science in superlative format.

The best introduction to Darwinism you can buy

An illustrated narrative tells, all too briefly, the story of Darwin the man and his revolutionary discovery of how the living world came to be. Thanks to its amusing, but informative, cartoon style exegesis, this little gem is a uniquely powerful antidote to creationist propaganda in the classroom. The best introduction to Darwin and his ideas you're likely to see.

Simple and Informative Primer on Darwin and Evolution

No-nonsense discussion on the Theory of Evolution, including a look at the people, places, and events that shaped its derivation. It provides a concise summary of Charles Darwin, the man and the scientist, including the dispelling of myths concerning his alleged anti-religious bent. The book is an easy read, yet is packed with factoids and information that provides an essential basis for evolutionary thought. While the book cover gives an appearance of child literature, young and old will find it enlightening and helpful.