| Edition |
First Pegasus Books edition |
| Phys Descr |
xxi, 457 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color), maps (some color) ; 24 cm |
| Note |
Map on end papers |
| Summary |
Everybody knowsor thinks they know Charles Darwin, the father of evolution and the man who altered the way we view our place in the world. But what most people do not know is that Darwin was on board the HMS Beagle as a geologiston a mission to examine the land, not flora and fauna. Retracing Darwins footsteps in South America and beyond, geologist Rob Wesson treks across the Andes, cruises waters charted by the Beagle, hunts for fossils in Uruguay and Argentina, and explores sites of long vanished glaciers in Scotland and Wales. As he follows Darwins pathliterally and intellectuallyWesson experiences the land as Darwin did, engages with his observations, and tackles the same questions Darwin had about our ever-changing Earth. Upon his return from his five-year journey aboard the Beagle, after examining the effects of earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and more, Darwin conceived his theory of subsidence and uplif this first theory. These concepts and attitudes of the vastness of time; the enormous cumulative impact of almost imperceptibly slow change; change as a constant feature of the environment underlie Darwins subsequent discoveries in evolution. And this peculiar way of thinking remains vitally important today as we enter the human-dominated Anthropocene age. Expertly interweaving science and adventure, Darwins First Theory is a riveting and revelatory journey around the world with one of the greatest scientific minds in history |
| Note |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 385-439) and index |
| Contents |
A peculiar obsession -- Darwin in the field. The lieutenant and the beetle collector ; Field trip with a master : the state of geology ; Setting out : the adventures begin ; The first years of the voyage ; Patagonia : the great workshop of nature ; Maria Graham and the debate on the causes of elevation ; Darwin's earthquake ; The Andes rising ; Coral reefs and the sinking bottom of the sea -- Darwin theorizing. Faith comforts, facts persuade ; The theory comes together ; Extending the theory : the parallel roads of Glen Roy -- Back on Darwin's trail. From uplift to evolution ; From natural selection to plate tectonics ; In the Beagle's wake ; The Chilean earthquake of 2010 ; Now you see them, now you don't ; Reflections : what does it all mean? |
| Subject |
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882 -- Travel
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Wesson, R. L. (Robert L.) -- Travel
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Geology
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Voyages around the world
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| OCLC # |
984464262 |
| ISBN # |
1681773163 |
|
9781681773162 |
|
