As a scientist, Darwin kept rigorous notes and journals. Drawing from these sources and the countless letters that Darwin exchanged over his life, the authors have presented a very accurate portrait of one of the most fascinating minds to have ever lived. Of particular interest to me was the various dichotomies Darwin's life included. He was a radical living in Victorian England who displayed traits of ironically and simultaneously being both a radical thinker and a conservative from the Victorian tradition. He was also a man of high standing among his family, society, and the science community. He seemingly had nothing to gain and everything to lose by propagating some of his conclusions. He did in fact lose many friends and honors because of his published views in The Origin of Species. He sat on his ideas for decades because of concerns for family and society. (For Mormon readers: You'll find many similarities in this regard between Darwin and famous Mormons like B.H. Roberts and Thomas Ferguson.) Like many others, he considered waiting to have his works published posthumously.

The biggest surprise for me in Darwin was the realization that 'evolution' wasn't a concept that Darwin came up with. Darwin was very much a product of his environment. That's not to say that he didn't come up with much on his own, but most of the things he is credited for were not pulled out of thin air. Ideas and events from his background were the springboards for his discoveries and thoughts. There were many evolutionists before Darwin. His contribution was the means (mostly natural selection) by which evolution is achieved. He even hung onto some ideas from the past which we now know to be false. For instance, he still believed in some variations from false Lamarckian thought such as traits acquired after birth being passed to offspring.

Like Galileo, Darwin spent a large portion of his life suffering from illness. It is incredible what these two accomplished given their unhealthy conditions for most of their lives. Both were fond of rigorous experimentation and sampling before letting their views be known. Darwin did not care for those who were 'too theoretical'.

A reader of this biography will also learn about several other famous figures from the 19th century like Huxley, Owen, Hooker, Wallace, and Lyell.

Regardless of religious preference or knowledge of (and interest in) science, Darwin should be fascinating to anyone who is fortunate enough to read its contents.