This is ostensibly a quirky piece of biography-driven pop history,
taking as its central tale Darwin's decade-long postponement of the
publication of his theory of natural selection in order to clear up
the mystery of the quaintly nicknamed 'Mr Arthrobalanus', a bizarre
variety of shell-less barnacle. Unable to reconcile his
naturalist's instinct with the plain evidence of fact - if it has
no shell, how can it be a barnacle? - the godfather of modern
zoology laid aside the text that was to change the world of natural
science forever, and devoted eight years to a systematic study of
every specimen and type of barnacle thus far catalogued in an
attempt to unravel the truth. Interesting enough, no doubt - but
what has this to do with more legitimately pressing facets of the
life of this extraordinary man? Stott's wonderfully written book
shows us with ease. This weird creature is literally the meat of an
age of theoretic revolution; in the face of such apparent
'monsters', the old systems of classification were falling like
skittles and a new science forming in their place. The mechanics of
speciation are central to Darwinism and an argument still hotly
debated; Stott uses an engagingly odd piece of scientific history
to recapture the breathlessness of its inception. This is
exhilarating stuff, served up hot with a generous dollop of love; a
fond portrait of Darwin the obsessive genius naturalist and a hymn
to the spirit of the time that created him. Marvellously well
researched and knowledgeable, peopled with colourful asides that
have the golden age of the new science leaping from the page, and
peppered with beautifully authentic old-style illustrations of the
creatures themselves, this is a fascinating book that will fit
snugly on any bookshelf. (Kirkus UK)
The story of one tiny creature and history's most spectacular
scientific breakthrough. In 1846, Charles Darwin has a secret: an
essay, sealed in an envelope and locked in his study drawer, which
will overturn human understanding of time and nature forever. Now
he must publish and take the consequences. But he hesitates. First,
Darwin decides to undertake just one small task: to solve the
riddle of a tiny barnacle he picked up on the shores of Southern
Chile, the last of his Beagle specimens. As it turns out, he could
not have made a more fateful choice. Barnacles are common to almost
every shoreline in the world, but this barnacle doesn't fit
established definitions or accepted archetypes. He promises himself
a month or so studying this creature, this potential key, to try to
understand the process of natural selection within this particular
species. But eight years later, his study filled with hundreds of
barnacle specimens in labelled pill-boxes posted from around the
world, the case is still unclosed. Was Darwin hesitating? Or was he
testing his 'dangerous idea' to destruction? Lavishly illustrated
and superbly told, Darwin and the Barnacle is the fascinating story
of how genius sometimes proceeds through indirection - and how one
small item of curiosity contributed to history's most spectacular
scientific breakthrough.
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