This name will always be principally associated with the theory of evolution. That Charles Darwin's scientific interest started early is of course known, but the details of his youthful adventure on the voyage of circumnavigation are not so well known. This volume deals with an early period of Darwin's life, in the year of 1831 when he set sail in the Beagle on an expedition for the purpose of making an accurate survey of the southern coastlines of the South American continent together with running a chain of chronometric readings round the world.
During the 5 years of the voyage, Darwin pursued the evasive geological puzzles that met his inexperienced eyes and made vast collections of animals and plants. It created influences on his mind and charac[er resulting in great changes.
The main content of this book is a series of 36 letters written by Darwin to his family and 24 little pocket books arranged and edited by Lady Barlow who is Charles Darwin's granddaughter and a notable Darwin scholar. The introduction furnishes a background for this work by describing the home where Darwin was reared, the family, his education, and events which led to the offer and acceptance of' Darwin for the voyage of the Beagle. The second part of the book contains the letters, and the third part the note books. The study of the two parallel sets of manuscripts yields further light on Charles Darwin as he then was, emotionally sensitive and intellectually malleable. It is a fitting addition to the works on Darwin.
R. H. OPPERMANN.