The Ecological Theater and the Evolutionary Play [Hardcover]

In this delightful collection of essays, the author ofThe Enchanted VoyageandThe Itinerant Ivory Towerturns his attention to the influence of environment on evolution.  His discussion of the nature of the terrestrial environment we know leads to an account of possible ecological conditions on other bodies in the universe.  Mr. Hutchinson also deals specifically with some influences on mans evolution, emphasizing the extremely recondite nature of these forces.  One of the other pieces looks at the relationship of natural beauty to works of art, particularly in the context of comparisons between natural history museums and art galleries.  The final essay, The Cream in the Gooseberry Fool, is an entertaining account of an English country clergymans work with the European magpie moth, which resulted in one of the most significant early discoveries in genetics.  The treatment throughout requires no technical learning, though the most important and modern theoretical results are cited in the footnotes.