"In 1859 the British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-82) published On the Origin of Species, describing the concept of natural selection. According to this revolutionary theory, plant and animal species are not fixed, but evolve, adapting to changing environments and to the pressures of competition. This celebrated book laid the foundation for modern evolutionary theory and sparked an impassioned debate on the origins of humankind that pitted secular science against traditional religious dogma.

In 1831, at age 22, Darwin sailed aboard the H.M.S. Beagle to the isolated Galapagos Islands, where he discovered the unique species and fossils that led to his remarkable new ideas. In 1871, already embroiled in controversy, he published The Descent of Man, which demonstrated the shared biological ancestry of the human race and the anthropoid apes. Once again, Darwin's ideas contradicted religious tradition and created a firestorm of both criticism and praise.

He altered the science of biology and changed forever the way we understand ourselves and our place in the world. Part biography, part history of science, part social documentary, this book takes readers along on Darwin's fantastic voyages of discovery."--BOOK JACKET.