Book Detective

The Voyage of the Beagle is a title commonly given to the book written by Darwin & published in 1839 as his Journal & Remarks, bringing him fame. The title refers to the 2nd survey expedition of the HMS Beagle, which set sail from Plymouth Sound on 12/27/1831 under the command of Captain Robert FitzRoy, RN. While the expedition was originally planned to last two years, it lasted almost five-the Beagle didn't return until 10/2/1836. Darwin spent most of this time exploring on land (3 years 3 months on land; 18 months at sea). The book is a vivid travel memoir as well as a detailed scientific field journal covering biology, geology & anthropology that demonstrates his powers of observation, written at a time when Western Europeans were exploring & charting the world. Altho he revisited some areas during the expedition, for clarity the chapters of the book are ordered by reference to places & locations rather than by date. His notes made during the voyage include comments illustrating his changing views at a time when he was developing his theory of evolution by natural selection ^ includes some suggestions of his ideas, particularly in the 2nd edition of 1845.

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