Darwin and the Barnacle: The Story of One Tiny Creature and History's Most Spectacular Scientific Breakthrough

by Rebecca Stott

Overview

"In Darwin and the Barnacle...ideas light up like matches on each page."—John Leonard, Harper's

A scientific detective story that illuminates the remarkable saga of Darwin's greatest achievement. Pairing Charles Darwin and a rare species of barnacle as her unlikely protagonists, Rebecca Stott has written an absorbing work of history that guides readers through the treacherous shoals of nineteenth-century biology. Beginning her scientific detective story in the 1820s, even before Darwin's Beagle voyage, Stott examines the mystery of why Darwin waited over two decades between formulating his pivotal theory of natural selection and publishing it. Lavishly illustrated, filled with riddles and concepts that challenge our notion of Victorian science, Darwin and the Barnacle is a thrilling account of how genius proceeds through indirection—and how one small item of curiosity contributed to history's most spectacular scientific breakthrough.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393325713
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	06/17/2004
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Rebecca Stott is a writer, academic, and radio broadcaster. She is an affiliated scholar in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University.

Editorial Reviews

"A spellbinding story, intricate and beautifully told."

James Moore

"This is that rare book that sweeps you on from the first few pages...a brilliant performance."

New Scientist - Roy Herbert

"Stott is skillful with many of the thematic connections here and her narration is exciting, gripping and addictively readable."

Independent on Sunday - Scarlett Thomas