Charles Darwin

This work, unsurprisingly, offers invaluable insights into the life and times of Charles Darwin, his personality and the formative influences that made him what he was. He tells of his childhood, his student days at Edinburgh and Cambridge, his love of beetles, shooting and geology, and; his grandfather, Josiah Wedgwood.

The Descent of Man applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details Darwin's theory of sexual selection, a form of biological adaptation distinct from, yet interconnected with, natural selection.This book presents a full explanation of Darwin's ideas, including his belief that many important characteristics of human beings and animals have emerged in response to competition for mates.

Perhaps the most influential science book ever written, the controversial theory that populations evolve and adapt through a process known as natural selection led to heated scientific, philosophical and religious debate, revolutionising every discipline in its wake.