"Charles Darwin can easily be considered one of the most influential scholars of his time. His thoughts, ideas, research and writings have had a far reaching impact and influence on modern thought in the arts, on society, and in science. With contributions from leading scholars, this collection of essays explores how Darwin's work grew out of the ideas of his time, and how its influence spread to contemporary thinking about creationism, the limits...

Darwin's foremost biographer, historian Janet Browne, delivers an accessible introduction to the book that permanently altered our understanding of what it is to be human. A sensation on its publication in 1859, The Origin of Species profoundly shocked Victorian readers by calling into question the belief in a Creator with its description of evolution through natural selection. And Darwin's seminal work is nearly as controversial today. In this study,...

A radical reappraisal of Darwin argues that the evolution pioneer was less of an original scientific intellect than a ruthless self-promoter who did not give credit to the actual sages whose ideas he advanced in his history-shaping book.

One of the most influential biologists to ever live.