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Start giftingThe Reluctant Mr. Darwin
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Learn moreIn September 1838, a young Englishman named Charles Darwin hit upon the idea that natural selection among competing individuals would lead to wondrous adaptations and species diversity. Twenty-one years passed between that epiphany and publication of On the Origin of Species. The human drama and scientific basis of that time constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that illuminates this cautious naturalist who sparked an intellectual revolution. Drawing from Darwin's secret notebooks and personal letters, David Quammen has sketched a vivid life portrait of the man whose work remains controversial today.
David Quammen is an author and journalist whose books include The Song of the Dodo, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, Spillover, and the New York Times bestseller The Tangled Tree. Spillover was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and a Scientific American Book of the Year. He has received numerous awards, including the Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction, the John Burroughs Medal for nature writingand the PEN/Spielvogel-Diamonstein Award for the Art of the Essay. He has written for numerous magazines and is a contributing writer for National Geographic.
Grover Gardner has recorded more than 650 audiobooks since beginning his career in 1981. He's been named one of the "Best Voices of the Century" as well as a "Golden Voice" by AudioFile magazine. Gardner has garnered over 20 AudioFile Earphones Awards and is the recipient of an Audio Publishers Association Audie Award, as well as a three-time finalist. In 2005, Publishers Weekly deemed him "Audiobook Narrator of the Year."
Gardner has also narrated hundreds of audiobooks under the names Tom Parker and Alexander Adams. Among his many titles are Marcus Sakey's At the City's Edge, as well as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and John Irving's The Cider House Rules. Gardner studied Theater and Art History at Rollins College and received a Master's degree in Acting from George Washington University. He lives in Oregon with his significant other and daughter.
Reviews
“This short, highly readable book is as valuable as it is timely.”
“Grover Gardner’s reading pulses with the excitement of Quammen’s quest…Gardner is perfectly alert to the author’s subtle irony and humor, which Quammen could hardly avoid.”
“Quammen proves an informative, often wry guide to Darwin’s life and continuing influence.”
“A concise, tightly focused, engaging, and informative biography that...provides a satisfying portrait of this controversial man.”
“Quammen reveals Darwin’s story as sad and heroic by turns.”
“Quammen brilliantly and powerfully recreates the nineteenth century naturalist’s intellectual and spiritual journey.”
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