DARWIN SLEPT HERE - DISCOVERY, ADVENTURE AND SWIMMING IGUANA IN CHARLES DARWIN'S SOUTH AMERICA

The adventure behind this book began several years ago when Eric Simons, its author, chanced upon a copy of Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle. It was not long thereafter that Simons resolved to follow the path of the English naturalist as he trekked through South America in the early 1830s. Simon's account of his energetic retracing of his hero's footsteps encompasses much more than "Darwin stood here" or "slept there." He captures the intellectual excitement of this brilliant young man (Darwin was just 22 years old when he accepted the assignment) as he made his way through relatively unexplored lands. Like The Voyage of the Beagle, 'Darwin Slept Here' has the feel of history experienced up close. A stimulating leisure read for anyone interested in science, evolution, and/or intellectual history.