Over a century after Darwin published the Origin of Species, Darwinian theory is in a "vibrantly healthy state," writes Stephen Jay Gould, its most engaging and illuminating exponent. Exploring the "peculiar and mysterious particulars of nature," Gould introduces the reader to some of the many and wonderful manifestations of evolutionary biology.
Editorial Reviews
"Lively and fascinating. . . . [Gould] writes beautifully about science and the wonders of nature." ―Tracy Kidder
"Delectable. . . . A happy evolutionary tour de force. Gould is a true natural philosopher in the grand tradition of the Enlightenment. Read, learn, and enjoy.” ―Washington Post Book World
"As witty as he is learned, Gould has a born essayist's ability to evoke the general out of fascinating particulars...He is a thinker and writer as central to our times as any whose name comes to mind...Whether he is explaining how zebras get their stripes, [or] why it is fallacious to assume that extinction means biological 'failure'...Gould's passion for truth an generosity of spirit make him one of nature's true wonders. —Newsweek
"His method is fairly consistent. Most of the essays begin with a nonscientific anecdote - about, say, the theme of a Rossini operatic aria....And before two pages are up, we are drawn effortlessly into an analysis of often profound biological questions....But over all, it is on the biological insights of the essays - and hence their social and philosophical implications - that this book (and indeed Mr. Gould himself) stands or falls. ―New York Times
About the Author
Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) was the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Professor of Geology at Harvard University. He published over twenty books, received the National Book and National Book Critics Circle Awards, and a MacArthur Fellowship.
