Darwin: A Very Short Introduction New Edition by Howard, Jonathan published by Oxford University Press

Very Short Introductions #035

by Jonathan Howard

Excellent Book

Genres: Science, Biography, Nonfiction, Evolution, Biology, History, Philosophy

Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Kaila · Rating 1 out of 5]

On page 66:

"If variations were causeless they would be outside the realm of scientific investigation; and Darwin never seriously considered allowing one of his axiomatic generalizations to be non-investigable, even if, for some purpose, it might be convenient to have causeless variation."

The book is full of sentences like this. It took me probably 3 times longer to read than it should have because I didn't understand a goddamned sentence. I don't feel like I learned very much Darwin OR how to wade through overly dense material aptly named "A Very Short Introduction" but definitely not "Approachable" or "Readable."

[DrosoPHila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite technical and probably at an 2nd or 3rd year undergraduate level both in terms of content and writing. If you don't have a background understanding of the various issues involved (genetics, ecology, systematics, history of science, philosophy of biology, etc) - as I do - it would be very surprising if you didn't struggle. As an "introduction" it lacks appropriate introductory pedagogic qualities; it goes far too deep far too quickly. The four star rating is for my own personal enjoyment, not as a general recommendation - for which it would probably only get two.

Two further points to note:
* While deeply insightful on nearly all issues, the author critiques sociobiology and evolutionary psychology with an unsubtle strawman argument.
* The bibliography is somewhat out of date, as many readers will be confounded by the main text, further reading is necessary, and should look elsewhere.
* Howard also recommends Stephen Jay Gould for further reading, however his work is only like to confuse the general reader even further and is probably best ignored.

[عدنان عوض · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 / 5
ثاني كتاب أقرأه عن تشارلز داروين بعد كتاب (داروين متردداً). هذا الكتاب كباقي سلسلة (مقدمة قصيرة جداً)، يعرض أهم الموضوعات وبكتابة مختصين تحتاج للتأني في القراءة وقضاء وقت كاف مع الكتاب بالرغم من صغر حجمه.

قرأت الكتاب بنسخة ورقية باللغة الانجليزية.

يتكون الكتاب من تسعة فصول مقسمة ابتداءاً بحياة داروين في فصل واحد، ثم أُسس الدارونية في الفصل الثاني، ثم الحديث عن الانتخاب الطبيعي وأدلته والجنس والتنوع والوراثة وتطور الانسان وغيرها من الموضوعات ذات الصلة والتي شكلت الجزء الأكبر من حياة داروين العلمية في ستة فصول. الفصل الثامن عن علاقة الدارونية بالفلسفة والتنظير الاجتماعي. أما الفصل الأخير فهو تحليل لعقلية وسلوك داروين كعالِم.

بالمجمل فإن الكتاب بداية مناسبة جداً لمن يريد التعرف على حياة هذا العالم الكبير بشكل دقيق وعام في نفس الوقت. أما بالنسبة لي فقد كنت أطمع بالمزيد كوني قرأت وشاهدت واستمعت لعدد من المواد عن داروين وكوّنت عنه صورة عامة.

بدأت قراءة هذا الكتاب في الفترة التي كنت فيها في المملكة المتحدة، كما أنني حظيت بفرصة زيارة منزل داروين في Down House جنوب لندن.

[M. Ashraf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the other books in this series, with a name in the title, it really does not give you much on their work just a general idea on the subject and then the focus be on the person himself; thus this was not different but with much bigger words quoting from his books and from other places.
The last couple chapters are good.
Further reading is required.
It is an O.K. VSI.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book provides a fairly approachable and easily-digestible outline of Darwin's theories of evolution and natural selection. It's probably a good choice if you're interested in a more thorough idea of what Darwin actually theorized but don't necessarily come from a background in science or feel comfortable with scientific language. Do note that this text sticks mainly to explaining the theories themselves and is less helpful in the way of biographical information on Darwin, which is limited to a single chapter. I do wish that Howard would have gone into more detail about the basis of arguments against Darwinism, particularly those of creationists, as well as the more recent advances and refinements that have been made in evolutionism; both areas are touched upon briefly but the main focus remains Darwin's work itself rather than its wider context. Overall, this isn't a book that I would have picked up on my own, but as required reading for a class, it was refreshingly straightforward and non-technical.

[Mehrdad S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Being fooled by the title (i.e., A very short introduction), I chose this book as my first read on Darwin and Evloution and now I am Just dissapointed. I could not understand that I cannot make any improvemnt in convicning myself to read this book until I started reading reviews. So, this not only my problem.
Interestingly, considering the fact that Darwin wrote 'Origin of Specieis' centuries before this book, his quotes in the book are more comprehensive and readable than Howard's writing. Such books can scare people of science.
By the way, anybody has any idea why the language of this book is so complicated and full of words that I have to find them in dictionry? Why an author may want to use such a strange language to deliver simple ideas?

[Robert Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Mr. Howard - what have you done? To turn such a simple task as explaining 'Darwinism' (for that should be the real title of the book) into a mouthful of big words and dust is a terrible thing to behold.

Three days it took me to struggle through this tiny tome and I arrived at the end none the wiser for my journey. I guess I need to add this subject to the list of those of which I know enough about already.

I can think of little else to say except to warn people not to read this book unless they love obfuscated accounts of simple matters.

'ware - here lie dragons.

[Seren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading this on and off for a couple of weeks. I wanted to sell it at an upcoming bookfair, but then realised how useful it is and decided to keep it.
From some of the thought processes Darwin used to arrive at his theories, he seems a little bit autistic spectrum. I mean this as an observation by someone who is.

[Prabhat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't read it!!! It's so verbose and dry. I'll now have to read Janet Browne's two-part epic.

[Hannah Rolland · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book touched on many interesting insites on the life of Darwin and his theories that are not common knowledge. Chapter 7 was particularly interesting and enjoyable to read. However, I found the book to be more of a short critical analysis than an introduction. I feel the use of jargon made the book dry and maticulous to read. As an "introduction" the book fails to introduce or explain Darwin's theories in any simplicity, and is thus not suitable for anybody who is not familiar with those theories. I am glad I pushed through as I found the final chapters interesting but I would not recommend this book for people who do not have atleast an undergraduate level understanding of Darwin and his theories.

[Christian T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lugesin eestikeelset tõlget: "Darwin. Põgus sissejuhatus". Teos annab hea ülevaate Darwini põhiseisukohtadest. Hinnang 3/5 tuleneb asjaolust, et antud teos sobib kõige paremini lugejatele, kellel on kas eelnevad teadmised või on just hiljuti bioloogia kursuseid läbinud. Ehk et kui bioloogiakursustest on juba tükk aega möödas, siis erinevad terminid ja kontseptsioonid võivad jääda võõraks ja nendele seletusi autor ei paku - kuigi arvestades teose olemust (põgus sissejuhatus) võiks see seletus olemas olla.

[Managing my virtual footprint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books in this series tend to be too general or, on the contrary, too specific to be called introductions. I found Howard's book to be the perfect mix of biography, exegesis, exposition and discussion of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution that can be done in under 150 pages.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I got used to Richard Dawkins books on the subject of evolution. This one had me feeling like I'm reading a condensed biology textbook. Great information non the less.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting short introduction to Charles Darwin.

[Greg Hovanesian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit dry and scientific at times, but overall this book was very informative and interesting.

[Matias · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not really an introduction. Hard to read text, very scientific. Not made for beginners into Darwin and his work.

[Mehrdad S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Being fooled by the title (i.e., A very short introduction), I chose this book as my first read on Darwin and Evloution and now I am Just dissapointed. I could not understand that I cannot make any improvemnt in convicning myself to read this book until I started reading reviews. So, this not only my problem.
Interestingly, considering the fact that Darwin wrote 'Origin of Specieis' centuries before this book, his quotes in the book are more comprehensive and readable than Howard's writing. Such books can scare people of science.
By the way, anybody has any idea why the language of this book is so complicated and full of words that I have to find them in dictionry? Why an author may want to use such a strange language to deliver simple ideas?

[Dougal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing. To begin with the cover: the title is totally misleading as the book has very little to do with Darwin. It is a book about Darwinism. Anyone looking for an insight into the man himself will be disappointed.
Leaving that aside, and assuming the book is titled Darwinism, the actual science is delivered in an extremely dry manner with illustrations that are, in the main, superfluous, and give one the feeling they were put in without thought just to provide 'illustrations'. For an extrememly interesting subject the book is deadly dull.
What a lost opportunity.
There are any number of better books around and I would recommend giving this one a miss.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 1: Darwin's life
Chapter 2: The foundations of Darwinism
Chapter 3: Natural selection and the origin of species
Chapter 4: The evidence for evolution by natural selection
Chapter 5: Sex, variation, and heredity
Chapter 6: Man
Chapter 7: Perfection and progress
Chapter 8: Darwinism and ideology
Chapter 9: Darwin as a scientist: an evaluation

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for the average lay person. As far as being an introduction, it does it well, but is at times hard to follow. The language is not easy to read for people like myself who are not students of the subject. All that being said, I found it enjoyable and informative hence the 4 stars instead of 3.

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handy little volume that gives an insight into the man and his work that is in no way a substitute for reading On the Origin of Species.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to evolution with a deep appreciation of Darwin's genius.

[Craig Bolton]

Darwin: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Jonathan Howard (2001)

[Nika Kapanadze · Rating 2 out of 5]

dry, complicated and as interesting as Wikipedia articles

[Laura]

Although short, this book took me about a month to read due to my ignorance of the subject. I enjoyed the format and further suggested reading. I am looking forward to reading more from "A Very Short Introduction" series.