Today Charles Darwin is regarded as one of the most -- if not themost -- influential scientists of all time. Yet in his lifetime his radical new intepretation of evolution based on natural selection earned him as much antagonism as it did accolades. In fact he faced a huge barrage of criticism for his 'heretical' new theories, from those closest to him as well as from the leading scientific and religious thinkers of the day.

John Gribbin and Michael White examine both the scientist and the science, putting one firmly in the context of the other. Thus they bring us a revealing portrait of a man plagued by illness and personal tragedy, who was nonetheless driven throughout his life to pursue his scientific goals. At the same time they lucidly explain the enormous impact of his thinking on natural selecton and evolution, bringing the reader up to date in terms of how Darwinism has shaped modern scientific thought.