2 h 33 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does a man who changes how we see the world notice when he looks back at himself?
Charles Darwin sits down at his home in Kent to tell his children and grandchildren what sort of man he has been. In The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, he traces his path from boyhood in Shrewsbury through schooling, marriage, and five years aboard the Beagle.
The journey also turns inward. Darwin examines the patient work behind On the Origin of Species, his changing religious beliefs, and the habits that shape his thinking. His account is short and plain: a careful man looks frankly at his own limits while writing warmly about others.
What you’ll discover
- An ordinary boy's passion Meet the schoolboy whose love of collecting offers an early glimpse of the naturalist.
- A life aboard the Beagle Follow the five years of travel that help shape Darwin's scientific life.
- Facts before a theory Explore his account of gathering facts on a large scale before forming a theory.
- Belief under quiet scrutiny Read Darwin's reflections on his changing religious beliefs as part of his private life.
- The man at home Discover daily routines, judgments of friends, and a searching assessment of his own mind.
Who will love it
For readers who love honest personal accounts, the making of scientific habits of mind, and a glimpse of Darwin as a man, with his friendships, religious doubts and frank judgments of himself.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A dull schoolboy with a passion for collecting
- Failed doctor, reluctant clergyman, born naturalist
- Five years on the Beagle shaped everything
- A theory built slowly from facts
- Religion, beauty and the narrowing mind
- Habits, friends and a judgment of himself
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L’autobiografia di Charles Darwin
by Charles Darwin · 1887
Writing for his children and grandchildren, Darwin reveals how a beetle collector comes to change how we see life.
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In short
At sixty-seven, Charles Darwin is often unwell. A German editor asks about his mind and character, and he writes an account of his life.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A dull schoolboy with a passion for collecting
Darwin was born in Shrewsbury in 1809, into a comfortable family. His mother, Susannah, dies when Charles is only eight. He admits that he remembers almost nothing of her, apart from her deathbed and her work table.
At Shrewsbury School, he was seen as a common boy of no great promise. The school taught mainly the classics, learned by rote, and he says it did nothing for his mind. His father once scolded him that he cared for nothing but shooting, dogs and rat catching, and would be a disgrace to himself and his family. Darwin recalls this sting with a rueful honesty.
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What is The Autobiography of Charles Darwin about?
It is Darwin's own short account of his life, from his boyhood in Shrewsbury to his old age at Down House. It covers his schooling, the Beagle voyage, his theory, his marriage, his religious doubts and his view of his own mind.
Why did Darwin write his autobiography?
He wrote it from 1876 for his family, not for the public. He wanted his children and grandchildren to know what he was like and how his mind and work had developed. It was published after his death.
What does Darwin say about religion in the Autobiography?
Darwin discusses his religious beliefs in the autobiography. He describes believing the Bible quite literally as a young man, and the book also includes his doubts about religion.
The author
Charles Darwin
1809–1882 · English naturalist and biologist
Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was an English naturalist and biologist. He was born in Shrewsbury and lived at Down House in Kent from 1842 until his death. He wrote On the Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871), and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872).
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