DebJpole Hello all,
“This was the first of many delightful days never to be forgotten.”
On the 27th December 1831, a young 22 year old man named Charles Darwin boarded HMS Beagle and set out on a voyage of a lifetime.
A voyage that would not only change his life; from a young man with little or no aims in life, this journey transformed Darwin into a scientific celebrity, but also the lives of everyone else for this is the journey that culminated in The Origin of Species.
“To admit that species generally become rare before they become extinct – to feel no surprise at the comparative rarity of one species with another, and yet to call in some extraordinary agent and to marvel greatly when a species ceases to exist, appears to me much the same as to admit that sickness in the individual is the prelude to death – to feel no surprise at sickness – but when the sick man dies to wonder, and to believe that he died through violence.”
This book is a reprint of Darwin’s journal which is vivid and shows us all of his observations from flora and fauna to the species of animals he encountered. It includes drawings of species which you can see similarities in those we know and see today.
“…the most remarkable feature in the natural history of this archipelago…the different islands to a considerable extent are inhabited by a different set of beings.”
It also details other things that caught Darwin’s eye – from a civil war in Argentina to colonial settlements in Australia and encountering slaves on his travels.
“It was without exception the most curious and interesting spectacle I ever beheld: I could not have believed how wide was the difference between savage and civilised man: it is greater than between a wild and domesticated animal…”
This book is so beautiful – it depicts how amazed he was to see places and species for the very first time and it completely boggles my mind and if I’m ever lucky enough to travel, I will bear Darwin’s words in mind. His journey took 5 years, but his findings have changed everyone’s lives for an eternity.
“Delight itself, however, is a weak term to express the feelings of a naturalist who, for the first time, has wandered by himself in a Brazilian forest…To a person fond of natural history, such a day as this brings with it a deeper pleasure than he can ever hope to experience again.”
Absolutely 5 star, no other book like it! You can find this super interesting read on Amazon
Want to know which book is next in Challenge 2020? Well then you’re going to have to wait and see.
Stay safe everyone!
“None can reply – all seems eternal now. The wilderness has a mysterious tongue, which teaches awful doubt.”
Keep reading,
Until next time,
D x
