Back in 2007 my family and I had the good fortune to visit the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria during its exhibition of artifacts from the Titanic. The exhibit was, without fear of hyperbole, extraordinary. Through the masterful curatorial skills with which the exhibition was planned, designed, and presented, the entire historic portrait of the Titanic, including the events of the voyage, sinking, and aftermath, was brought into clear focus for myself, my wife, and our then seven-year-old daughter. Although each of us had not only considerably different levels of interest in the subject, not to mention widely differing amounts of previous knowledge about it, we all came away from it with a better understanding of what had occurred, why, and its historical importance. Due to its multi-layered and highly effective style of presentation, memories of this marvelous exhibition were brought quickly to mind during my recent reading of John van Wyhe’s The Darwin Experience: The Story of the Man and His Theory of Evolution.
As a reviewer I am frequently given the opportunity to examine many fine and exemplary books; books that, due to the author’s style and effectiveness, the subject’s ability to hold the reader’s attention, or even the publisher’s manner of presentation, rise above mere common informational tomes to become something truly memorable. Yet even amongst all these, The Darwin Experience stands almost in a category by itself. Drawing upon not only Dr. van Wyhe’s extensive knowledge of his subject, and National Geographic’s editorial and publishing expertise, The Darwin Experience additionally draws upon the museum curator’s art in presenting a collection of information, imagery, and artifacts (reproduced, of course) to lead the reader through the story of not only Charles Darwin and the world in which he lived, but of the history previous to and the lasting effects of his work as well.
Dr. van Wyhe, a historian of science and Senior Lecturer in the Departments of Biology and History at the National University of Singapore and a Bye-Fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge (the same one Darwin himself attended), is the founder and Director of Darwin Online – “the largest and most widely consulted edition of the writings of Darwin ever published.” Though his work as director of this project, as a professor, and as one of the world’s foremost authorities on Charles Darwin, Dr. van Wyhe has shown tireless dedication to providing not only academics and students, but the wider general public as well, with a better and more thorough understanding of the man whose theories and works have been the subject of so much uninformed misunderstanding and subsequent vilification.
Much in the manner of a masterfully curated museum exhibition, The Darwin Experience presents the reader with multiple sensory channels of information. The book itself is formatted in the manner of a large old slip-cased album, requiring the reader to hold it differently – indeed, more reverentially as one would hold such a valuable collection of carefully preserved letters and photos – and subsequently interact with it differently than one would with an ordinary book. Within its pages, each lavishly decorated in the style contemporary to Darwin himself, are found copious illustrations, photographs, and removable or expandable enclosures (reproductions of everything from letters in Darwin’s own hand to maps and other items of related interest) accompanying the crisp, cleanly written explanatory text. Rather than chapters, each double page spread contains a well-bounded subject, much as might a museum depict an individual topic within a different room. Indeed, reading through The Darwin Experience one gets the feeling of following the corridors of a vast museum, held by the material presently before one’s eyes yet eager to learn what lies around the next corner.
The Darwin Experience is most certainly a book that will provide both the long-time Darwin enthusiast as well as someone entirely new to the study of the great man’s life and work with hours of rapt enjoyment. Its artistic beauty makes it eminently suitable as a coffee table book to be read at moments of passing leisure or just as appropriately in lengthy purposeful pursuit of a better and more nuanced understanding of its subject. In truth, it is my sincere hope that this book will be one that finds its way into homes, libraries, and schools throughout the land so that as many people as possible may read it and experience the life and work of Charles Darwin for themselves.
Title: The Darwin Experience: The Story of the Man and His Theory of Evolution
Author: John van Wyhe
Publisher: National Geographic
ISBN-10: 1426204736
ISBN-13: 978-1426204739
In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce this review was provided gratis to the reviewer by the publisher.
