The Voyage of the Beagle

Charles Darwin, 1839

Ideas that changed the world Adventure

Darwin records a surveying voyage through close observations of landscapes, animals and people.

Read the book Contents

Length: 21 chapters
Reading time: About 13 hr 46 min
Words: 196,683

About the book

The Beagle sails from Devonport after delays caused by bad weather, beginning a voyage with surveying work among its purposes. Darwin's account moves between the course of the journey and the particular things that catch his attention on land and at sea.

This is travel writing organised by an observer's scientific curiosity. Rock formations, animal behaviour and small unfamiliar organisms can receive as much attention as a port or a distant view. The changing scale makes the journal distinctive, inviting readers to see how a passing encounter can develop into a sustained question.

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Ideas that changed the world Adventure

This edition

Text from Standard Ebooks, who proofread and typeset it and dedicate their edition to the public domain. Charles Darwin died more than 70 years ago, so the work is out of copyright in the UK. Includes the original dedication, preface, frontispiece.