On the Origin of Species: The Illustrated Edition Paperback – October 4, 2011

A book everyone talks about but not so many have read it.I was surprised on how well written is! It lets the reader take his own conclusions, which are evolution is the engine of life. I think is an important book, if not the most, to understand what's life.

I avoided reading this quintessential book for years because I incorrectly assumed it would be as exciting as a graduate student dissertation. So when I found this version with illustrations I (typical American male), thought "OH! Pictures! I can handle this!". And I could. I have read several books about evolution, from a scientific perspective, from a philosophical perspective, even one book that attempted--and failed--to disprove it. But I had never read THE book about how we came to be the way we are, and it was time. This book, while not exactly a barnburner, is not a difficult read at all, and with the addition of the helpful and often fascinating photographs and illustrations, it was a great and enjoyable read. The only caveat I will issue here is that this is not a book you can toss into your suitcase and take with you on a trip. It is big and bulky (and beautiful, but big and bulky nonetheless). This is a book you will want to keep at home, on your nightstand, to read.Oh...and if you are a religionist/creationist, do NOT buy this book. If you do, God will throw you into the abyss of Hell where you will suffer and burn and choke and scream and be tortured every second from now through eternity. Because he loves you. (This last bit stolen, with gratitude, from George Carlin).

The quality of paper, period pictures, biographical and period information, and excerpts from his Voyage on the Beagle set this above other editions of The Origin of Species. It is a bit period in that the arguments and attention to details by Darwin; this makes this work tedious to the educated 21st century reader. This work is suited for those who desire to understand the level of academic analysis of the issue of species and forces of change in the mid-19th century; this work is above others. By our standard for information a better for lighter reading with insights is by Alan Moorehead; his Darwin and the Beagle (1969, and still in print). It stands above others works on Darwin in its style of writing, recreates Darwin’s voyage, and has ample period illustrations. Moorehead is among the best historians and writers. Which shoe fits you best?

This book is a nice annotated version of Darwin's Origin of Species. The quality of printing you get for the price is amazing. Suppose you get the bang for the buck, so to speak, because its printed in China. Overall Im very happy with my choice.Unfortumately the reviews that allowed me to correctly make this informed choice have been mixed up between this true to Darwin version of the book and the other, which is aparently studded with creationost nonsense. I tend to think the mixing of rewiews was purposeful, done by creationist "appologists" who wanted to confuse buyers. I wouldnt put it past the kind of people who are guided (blinded) by faith to use whatever means necessary to bring people into their apocalyptic fold.Whatever the reason for the mess, I hope amazon corrects it. It's plainly obvious that the text from the negative reviews are a copy and past job from the creationost version since the banana creationist guy's name isn't even in the info section of this book.To repeat, THIS IS THE RIGHT ONE. This is the historically accurate, scientifically sound, propaganda-less 150th anniversary edition of origin of species. This is the one you want to buy.And to the idiots who concocted this mixup: the rational, thinking, people, who buy this book wont fall for the kind of tricks you yahoos do, because they can see when a claim does or doesnt fit the data.

Wonderful annotated edition of Darwin’s classic work, brimming with drawings of the lands he visited and the specimens he collected on his round-the-world voyage and with lively descriptions from Darwin’s diary of the people he encountered and the events he witnessed. This is a great book. If I have one complaint it is that the tome is quite large and heavy.

I downloaded the free version of "Origin," but got this one because it was only $2.99 and illustrated. The main reason I bought it was for the pictures because Darwin's extensive book covers so many animals and flowers that I wasn't actually sure which he was talking about for his examples. I'm not that much into botany, and am mostly familiar with either American or zoo animals so some of the Terra del Fuego or New Zealand examples were a little lost on me. This version contains over 250 pictures and illustrations that give a better understanding of the topics covered at hand. However, a great deal of the pictures were either of famous men (scientists, naturalists, etc.) and/or landscape shots. And of course, since this is a Kindle they are all in black and white, which normally wouldn't bother me (I knew what I was getting into when I ordered the Kindle, and I still love it), but most of the pictures are obviously color because the B&W contrast often makes it difficult to see the photo's subject clearly. And since so many of these pictures were not plants and animals, but people and landscapes, the whole "illustrated experience" of "Origin" is lacking. BTW, although not stated in this book, this version appears to be the Sixth Edition, which I found a little smoother to read than the free public domain First Edition of "Origin". Overall, a great purchase and well worth the price.