The Voyage of the Beagle

De: Charles Darwin

Narrado por: Richard Dawkins

The Voyage of the Beagle - or, to give it its full title, Journal of researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries visited during the Voyage round the World of H.M.S. Beagle under command of Captain FitzRoy, R.N. - is much more than merely an account of Darwin's scientific observations in his 1831 - 36 travels across the globe: it is fine travel writing in its own right.

Voyage of the Beagle foreshadows Darwin's world-changing On The Origin of Species (also a CSA Word audiobook read by Richard Dawkins), in its constant intellectual quest. Darwin - still only in his early 20s - never just accepts what he sees, but wants to understand it; he shares his thinking in clear, entertaining, witty, even lyrical writing.

Professor Richard Dawkins, renowned evolutionist and author of ten books including The Selfish Gene, The God Delusion, and The Greatest Show on Earth, reads a carefully considered selection of extracts which makes Darwin's observational and logical genius accessible to a whole new audience.

©2009 CSA Word (P)2009 CSA Word

Fun, fascinating and a wonderful narrative

Really fun stories of Darwin across Latinoamerica, and with such level of detail you can travel with him. Also, it is fascinating how the observations shared in this book link to what became the theory of Natural Selection. Dawkins makes an incredible job. Enjoy it!

Glimpses of a great mind at 22

It is not news to anyone that Charles Darwin was a bright guy. One of the great minds of science, as we all know, and the iconic images of the man, with his bald head, long white beard, and serious expression, leave no one in doubt. But still I was surprised to know how intelligent and sensitive he was at the tender age of 22. The first entries in this selection show how much knowledge he had already mastered in geology, zoology, botany, anthropology. The reader / listener has the privilege of observing him in the act of making the connections that lead ultimately to the elucidation of evolutionary processes, one of the great intellectual feats of science and civilization. Darwin's meticulous natural history of numerous species of plants and animals are as fresh and as fascinating as anything written today. Of particular timely interest is Darwin's experience of an earthquake in Chile, which sounds almost exactly like the news reports of the quake there in February 2010. Professor Dawkins selected these particular passages and brings the exuberance of the young man alive with every sentence in his reading. I recommend this audiobook to anyone interested in Darwin, in evolution, or in Dawkins.

A Biased Review

This is an incredibly biased review and rating. I enjoy all of the books Dawkins have written and am fascinated by evolutionary biology. This book was a no-brainer for me. If you like Dawkins and Darwin, it will be a no-brainer for you too!

Dawkins Reading Darwin is Mana for the Soul

When you hear these words and realize they were penned by a 22 year old man who was really experiencing these things, it's almost surreal. I've now a strange desire to travel to Patagonia.

With Charles and Richard on the journey

Really fascinating. It illustrates the high academic standard Darwin achieved prior to his Beagle journey. His excellent diary style, acute observations added to by easy reading skills make this much better than I would have hoped. Richard Dawkins makes an excellent narrator and his own scientific knowledge obviously assists in correct emphasis and pronouniciation. I had anticipated some dryness and that a bit of endurance might have been called for but nothing of the sort. Lots of human interest, adventure and exploration with the added threats of sail and risks of the time add considerably to the readabilty. Well recommended.