Charles Darwin: The Concise Story of an Extraordinary Man | 
 enlarge | Author: Tim M. Berra
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 219930
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 144
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 4.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 0801891043
Dewey Decimal Number: 576.82092
EAN: 9780801891045
ASIN: 0801891043
Publication Date: October 29, 2008
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Product Description
Two hundred years after Charles Darwin's birth (February 12, 1809), this thoroughly illustrated, yet concise biography reveals the great scientist as husband, father, and friend. Tim M. Berra, whose "Darwin: The Man" lectures are in high demand worldwide, tells the fascinating story of the person and the idea that changed everything. Berra discusses Darwin's revolutionary scientific work, its impact on modern-day biological science, and the influence of Darwin's evolutionary theory on Western thought. But Berra digs deeper to reveal Darwin the man by combining anecdotes with carefully selected illustrations and photographs. This small gem of a book includes 20 color plates and 60 black-and-white illustrations, along with an annotated list of Darwin's publications and a chronology of his life.
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Darwin at a glance January 6, 2009
Tim Berra's brief biography captures the essence of Charles Darwin's contribution to science. This is a book that can be appreciated not just by scientists but by the general public as well. Sceptics are especially encouraged to read this excellent account that covers the personal dimension of Darwin's life as well as his theory of evolution. It's obvious that Dr. Berra has researched the subject thoroughly, revealing his own obsession with one of the most important scientists who ever lived.
Richard Wink, PhD
Professor, The Ohio State Unversity
Very brief but very good December 28, 2008
When you think of all the historically significant people in the history of the world, one thing that would make most of them singular was their date of birth. There is rarely the case of two important people being born on the same day, but there is one noteworthy example: on February 12, 1809 (a day which will soon have its 200th anniversary), both Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln was born.
There aren't a lot of parallels between the two, but a couple come to mind: both reached their pinnacle around the same time (Darwin with the 1859 publication of The Origin of the Species, Lincoln in 1860 with his election to the Presidency) and both were compared unfavorably to primates. For Lincoln, this was a nasty gibe at his appearance; for Darwin, it was a snide rebuttal to his theory of evolution.
A key difference between the two is that almost no one defends slavery anymore, while there are still plenty of people who promote the long-disproven ideas of creationism (the principal counter-"theory" to evolution, often dressed up as "intelligent design"). But even if the forces of ignorance and/or superstition remain, this doesn't diminish Darwin's contribution, which is described in Tim Berra's brief biography on Darwin.
Brief is definitely the applicable word, as the book is merely 86 pages, or 115 with index and other supplemental materials. It's even briefer than that: much of the book is illustrations and photos, leaving the text at around 50 pages or so. But this shortness is okay: Berra is able to capture the essentials of Darwin's life and his contribution to not only science, but world history as well.
Though his "twin" Lincoln may have many more biographies, there is no shortage of books on Darwin. What Berra's book offers is a starting point, a short sketch of Darwin's life in which the other books will provide more details. Well-written with enough information to get get the gist of Darwin's impact (and, as mentioned before, with plenty of pictures), this is a fine introduction to this great man.
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