Darwin's Century

Loren Eiseley's DARWIN'S CENTURY is an interesting survey of the men whose scientific investigations led to advances in studies in biology and, interestingly enough, physics. Eiseley presents a readable account of the complex background to Darwin's work, and Eiseley examines the Darwin's contemporaries and those benefitted from his work as well as those who enhanced it. Eiseley presents Darwin's work with the 19th century... Read Full Review

Newton said, "If I have seen so far, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants." The same could be said for Charles Darwin, as Eisley shows in _Darwin's Century_.It is a fascinating read, to be sure. I had always assumed that Dawin's _Origin of Species_ and _Decent of Man_ were discoveries made by a brilliant flash of intuition and genius. Eisley clarifies this misconception, demonstrating the ideas and theories... Read Full Review

Anthropologist Loren Eiseley is best known for his poetic essays on evolution, biology, and human nature._Darwin's Century_ may be a leap for fans of this work. It's a scholarly work, written while Eiseley was wearing his Professor hat instead of his Philosopher cap. It's a comprehensive (but very readable) look at the intellectual climate in which Charles Darwin was educated and scentific traditions of the time.Like any good... Read Full Review

This is the story of the development and refinement of evolutionary thought in the Nineteenth Century. The author allows a little slop into the end of the Eighteenth Century with such as Hutton and Buffon, and a bit into the Twentieth with Alfred Russell Wallace's last years, but basically this is the story of how the medieval view of the Great Chain of Being coming into sudden being along with the earth 6000-odd years ago... Read Full Review

This is a very readable account of a topic that can be daunting at times, especially for those without much background in the natural or physical sciences. Eiseley was a superb writer and he adds a lot of life and zest to the history of evolutionary theory. One becomes fascinated by the men who were at the forefront of "discovering" evolution (of whom Charles Darwin was only one), as well as the events that led to evolution's... Read Full Review