Last refreshed at 0600GMT Friday The best five books on everything | 30 July 2010

The Voyage of the Beagle

Charles Darwin
Image of The Voyage of the Beagle (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)

It’s a fun read about a young man on an expedition finding things out. It’s as much about the journey as it is about evolution, but you can hear the idea gestating, the beginnings of the most amazing idea ever. The Origin of Species is a bit heavy going, but this is about the process of science, about him using his brain, the creative imaginative bit of science where he’s wondering why these fossils are here on top of the Andes.