The Voyage Of The Beagle is one of
Darwin's most
readable books. It was originally published as a popular
adventure journal and was something of a
bestseller for a few years. Besides, being a first rate
naturalist Darwin was also an excellent writer and he does an amazing job of conveying the sense of
newness and excitement that greeted
explorers during his time.
For
modern readers the chapter on
Galapagos Archipelago is the most interesting. It is here that Darwin presents the questions he would later try to answer in
On The Origin Of The Species by Means of Natural Selection. Since the book was intended to be
popular you'll find no mention of
controversial theories, only
subtile speculation. It's thrilling to read Darwin's
daring questions when you realise the impact they would have not only on
biology-- but our popular understanding of the
nature of life on earth.