From So Simple a Beginning:
Darwins Four Great Books (Voyage
of the Beagle, The Origin of Species,
The Descent of Man, The Expression
of Emotions in Man and Animals) by
Edward O. Wilson
So Simple A Beginning, So Profound A Journey
A gorgeous gift and a landmark work that is an essential addition to
everyones personal library. Never before have the four great works of
Charles Darwin—Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle (1845), The Origin of
Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871), and The Expression of
Emotions in Man and Animals (1872)— been collected under one cover.
Undertaking this challenging endeavor 123 years after Darwins death, two-
time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson has written an introductory

essay for the occasion, while providing new, insightful introductions to
each of the four volumes and an afterword that examines the fate of
evolutionary theory in an era of religious resistance. In addition, Wilson has
crafted a creative new index to accompany these four texts, which links the
nineteenth-century, Darwinian evolutionary concepts to contemporary
biological thought. Beautifully slipcased, and including restored versions of
the original illustrations, From So Simple a Beginning turns our attention to
the astounding power of the natural creative process and the magnificence
of its products. 101 illustrations.
Personal Review: From So Simple a Beginning: Darwins Four
Great Books (Voyage of the Beagle, The Origin of Species, The
Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and
Animals) by Edward O. Wilson
I have had two worn-out paperback copies of Origin of Species and The
Voyage of the Beagle for many years and enjoyed them greatly. But, my
eyes are not quite as good as they used to be at reading small print, and
besides I wanted nicer copies after all this time. I had never gotten around
to The Descent of Man and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and
Animals, which I wanted to read in order to expand my understanding of
Darwin and evolution. This edition itself is very nicely finished. The
original illustrations have been beautifully restored. The essays by E.O.
Wilson are informative and insightful. As others have said, tho', I wish that
Dr. Wilson had expanded his essays. Good as they were, I wanted more.
Darwin himself was a very good writer with a skill at clear explanation and
an obvious love for nature and its subjects. Darwin is still one of the best
at explaining the theory which he and Wallace originated. As a basic
source of the most essential writings by Charles Darwin, this edition could
not be much better. This is one to keep on your bookshelf for years to
come. You have in your hands one of the greatest insights in all of human
history and science, equal to the visions of Galileo, Newton, and Einstein.
For me, evolution and the theory of natural selection surpass in importance
any other other discovery in science, dealing as it does with the history of
life and our place in nature. It should be lastly noted that "theory" should
be taken in its scientific sense when talking about evolution. A theory is a
description of how something works -- not something unproven. Evolution
is proven and real. Intelligent Design, on the other hand, is an unproven
and illogical proposition which explains nothing.
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Animals) by Edward O. Wilson 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price!