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ddave · 03-12-2010, 02:40 PM

I was surprised to see this thread because everyone looked at me so strangely when I said I'd read Darwin's "On the Origin of Species, 6th Ed.", an ePub book. I'm glad I read it, but it is a difficult read. His level of detail in the examples combined with the wordy writing style of the period make for a slow read. And therefore, a perfect book to have on your eReader. When I had 10 minutes, I could turn it on (Sony 700) and read a section. It took a while, but I completed the book.
Do the new books on evolution replace this work. I think not. The examples provided by Darwin will be more commonly appreciated by the layman, for example dog breeding in England, rose breeding, sheep breeding are just some of the examples he uses to make the case that selection can alter and even create species. A new text may get into details provided by DNA research and anatomical studies, but Darwin's examples (for me especially from the animal world) provide examples everyone should be able to relate to.
In summary, I wouldn't sit down and read it for 2-3 hours straight, but I'm glad I read it. ( I have to admit, my appreciation for the book could be explained as I am a scientist and I found the logic in his writing to be both interesting and excruciatingly detailed.)

Dave

03-12-2010, 02:40 PM	#43
ddave Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Minnesota, USA Device: none	I was surprised to see this thread because everyone looked at me so strangely when I said I'd read Darwin's "On the Origin of Species, 6th Ed.", an ePub book. I'm glad I read it, but it is a difficult read. His level of detail in the examples combined with the wordy writing style of the period make for a slow read. And therefore, a perfect book to have on your eReader. When I had 10 minutes, I could turn it on (Sony 700) and read a section. It took a while, but I completed the book. Do the new books on evolution replace this work. I think not. The examples provided by Darwin will be more commonly appreciated by the layman, for example dog breeding in England, rose breeding, sheep breeding are just some of the examples he uses to make the case that selection can alter and even create species. A new text may get into details provided by DNA research and anatomical studies, but Darwin's examples (for me especially from the animal world) provide examples everyone should be able to relate to. In summary, I wouldn't sit down and read it for 2-3 hours straight, but I'm glad I read it. ( I have to admit, my appreciation for the book could be explained as I am a scientist and I found the logic in his writing to be both interesting and excruciatingly detailed.) Dave