13 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 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
Readers drawn to scientists' personal stories, Victorian lives, travel, and natural history will love this candid self-portrait. It also suits those curious about how an ordinary boy grows into a thinker.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An unlikely beginning for a naturalist
- Curiosity grows outside the classroom
- False starts still open useful doors
- The voyage changes what Darwin values
- Quiet work includes admitting mistakes
- A theory takes shape through facts
- Keep the facts against your theory
- One theory opens many new questions
- Careful habits hold the life together
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
The Autobiography of Charles Darwin in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Autobiography of Charles Darwin
by Charles Darwin · 1887
A boy who shoots birds and collects beetles sails on the Beagle and ends up rewriting the story of life.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“But Darwin is remarkable among all broachers of new theories for the extraordinary candour and openness of his method.”
In short
Picture a boy who tells lies just to cause excitement, who hides his father's fruit in the bushes and then announces a theft. His father tells him he cares for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rats, and that he will disgrace his family.
The Autobiography of Charles Darwin at a glance
- Reading time
- About 1 h 30 min1 h 10 min fast, 1 h 45 min slow
- Length
- 21,200 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1887by Charles Darwin
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
An ordinary boy with a collecting passion
Darwin's mother dies when he is eight.
What stands out is an inborn taste for collecting. He gathers shells, coins, seals, and minerals, and none of his siblings shares the habit. He sees in it the seed of the naturalist. He also owns up to his faults. He once tells a friend that coloured water can change the colour of primroses, a monstrous lie, he says, since he never tried it.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1887
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 1 h 40 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Darwin, Charles. The Autobiography of Charles Darwin. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-autobiography-of-charles-darwin.
Darwin, C. (2026). The autobiography of Charles Darwin. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-autobiography-of-charles-darwin (Original work published 1887)
Darwin, Charles. The Autobiography of Charles Darwin. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-autobiography-of-charles-darwin.
@book{darwin2026autobiography,
author = {Darwin, Charles},
title = {The Autobiography of Charles Darwin},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-autobiography-of-charles-darwin},
note = {First published 1887}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Autobiography of Charles Darwin
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Autobiography of Charles Darwin about?
It is Darwin's short account of his own life and mind, written in 1876 with notes added in 1881. It covers his boyhood, schooling, the Beagle voyage, the making of the Origin, his later books, and his view of his own strengths and weaknesses.
Why did Darwin write his autobiography?
A German editor asked him for an account of the growth of his mind and character. Darwin thought it might amuse him and interest his children and grandchildren, so he wrote as if looking back on his life from another world.
What does Darwin say about the Beagle voyage?
He calls it the most important event of his life. He says it gave him the first real training of his mind, taught him to reason through geology, made him give up shooting for science, and laid the basis for his later work.
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).
“I have worked as hard and as well as I could, and no man can do more than this.”
More by Charles Darwin
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
