Darwin in Galápagos:: Footsteps to a New World
When we talk about Darwin and his theory of evolution, we must talk about the five-week visit to the Galápagos Islands in 1835 that helped foment that theory. Naturalists Grant and Estes are longtime researchers and residents of the Galápagos. They bring to this account of Darwin's adventures their intimate knowledge of the islands, enabling them to identify sites Darwin visited that previously were in doubt or misidentified. We often forget that much of Darwin's early fame was as a geologist. Grant and Estes describe in detail the islands' geographic and volcanic features as well as their many unique species of birds, reptiles and plants, both in Darwin's time and today. The book is in part a study of the decline of an ecosystem through the introduction of invasive plants and animals and how humans can undo the damage they have created. The final chapters on Darwin's career after leaving the Galápagos are slightly hurried, but all fans of the great scientist will find this an engrossing account of what was probably the most important period in his life. 201 color illus., 73 b&w illus., 4 maps.(Dec.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.