Darwin : portrait of a genius / Paul Johnson

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Contents: A heritage of genius, and its shadow -- Education and self-education of a scientist -- The loss of God -- The making of a masterpiece -- Among the apes and angels -- How the great botanist missed an opportunity -- Evils of social Darwinism -- Triumph and reversal of natural selection
Summary: Darwin's revolutionary career is the perfect vehicle for historian Paul Johnson. Marked by the insightful observation, spectacular wit, and highly readable prose for which Johnson is so well regarded, Darwin brings the gentleman-scientist and his times brilliantly into focus. From Darwin's birth into great fortune to his voyage aboard the Beagle, to the long-delayed publication of his masterpiece, Johnson delves into what made this Victorian gentleman into a visionary scientist, and into the tragic flaws that later led Darwin to support the burgeoning eugenics movement.