The Voyage of the Beagle: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round [Paperback]

In 1831, Charles Darwin embarked on an expedition that, in his own words, determined my whole career. The Voyage of the Beagle chronicles his five-year journey around the world and especially the coastal waters of South America as a naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle. While traveling through these unexplored countries collecting specimens, Darwin began to formulate the theories of evolution and natural selection realized in his master work, The Origin of Species. Travel memoir and scientific primer alike, The Voyage of the Beagle is a lively and accessible introduction to the mind of one of history's most influential thinkers.Steve Jones is professor of genetics at University College, London. He is the author of Darwin's Ghost and The Language of Genes, among other books. He lives in London.

1. Darwin’s scientific exploration was one of the many goals of the voyage of the Beagle, but what was the primary purpose of the journey? What information might such an exhaustive maritime expedition provide and what needs could it fulfill? You may want to examine the role of the British Empire at the time, at the height of her power with a strong leader, a sound economy, and many colonies under her stewardship.

2. In his Autobiography, Darwin called his five years on the Beagle the “most important event in my life” and said that it “determined my whole career.” How did it alter Darwin’s course? Are there early examples or indications of Darwin’s theories regarding adaptation and natural selection? How was this journal a precursor to his best-known, landmark work The Origin of Species?

3. Charles Darwin brought the first volume of Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology on board with him and had the second and third volumes sent to him during his voyage. How do Lyelllc)