G. T. Bettany (1850–1891)

Enjoy the best-selling memoir of Charles Darwin's journey of discovery aboard the HMS Beagle--now fully illustrated for the first time. The Voyage of the Beagle is Darwin's fascinating account of his groundbreaking sea voyage that led to his writing On the Origin of Species. When the HMS Beagle sailed out of Devonport on December 27, 1831, Charles Darwin was only twenty-two and setting off on the voyage of a lifetime. His journal reveals him to be a naturalist making patient observations concerning geology and natural history as well as people, places, and events. He witnessed and visited volcanoes in the Galapagos, saw the Gossamer spider of Patagonia, sailed through the Australasian coral reefs, and recorded the brilliance of the firefly--these recollections are found in these extraordinary writings. The insights made on the five-year voyage set in motion the intellectual currents that led to the most controversial book of the Victorian age: On the Origin of Species. An introduction on the background to Darwin's work, as well as notes, maps, appendices, and an essay on scientific geology and the Bible by Robert FitzRoy, Darwin's friend and captain of the Beagle, provide context for this incredible story. This volume is the first fully illustrated edition of Darwin's journal and includes excerpts of On the Origin of Species so the reader can connect the author's journey with his discovery that made him famous.… (mer)

This Folio Society edition of The Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle reprints the 1960 third edition of Charles Darwin’s Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited during the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World under Captain Fitz Roy, R.N.. Darwin titled the first edition Journal of Researches into the Geology and Natural History of the Various Countries Visited by H.M.S. Beagle under the Command of Captain Fitz Roy, R.N., from 1832 to 1836 and published it in 1839 as the third volume in a series titled, Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty’s Ships Adventure and Beagle. Captain Robert FitzRoy’s account primarily focused on the actions of the ship and crew as well as hydrographical research while Darwin focused on geology and natural history. Darwin based his account on his journals and his day books, with the first edition selling well enough that his publisher printed a second edition as a standalone from the other volumes in the first edition. Darwin began to explore his ideas about evolution in the course of the second edition, clarifying some language and demonstrating the influence of Charles Lyell’s geological theories, which Darwin read in Lyell’s Principles of Geology (1830-1833). Darwin’s The Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle is not only an interesting work for the history of science, but offers a glimpse into naval life, exploration, and more in the 1830s. It’s somewhat dry compared to modern popular science writing, but Darwin has a great felicity with language at times plus it’s worth reading just to understand his thought process as he began developing his theory of evolution. This Folio Society edition features period illustrations and matches their editions of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.… (mer)