This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/science/animal-magic/2014/mar/13/galapagos-natural-history-book-henry-nicholls
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Welcome to The Galapagos | Welcome to The Galapagos |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| “The natural history | “The natural history |
| of these islands is eminently curious, and well deserves attention.” So wrote Charles Darwin of the | of these islands is eminently curious, and well deserves attention.” So wrote Charles Darwin of the |
| Galapagos in the first edition of his Journal | Galapagos in the first edition of his Journal |
| of Researches. | of Researches. |
| I love this sentence. | I love this sentence. |
| I love its modest, quintessentially Victorian style. I love its central | I love its modest, quintessentially Victorian style. I love its central |
| observation (for the natural history of these islands is, indeed, eminently curious). But most | observation (for the natural history of these islands is, indeed, eminently curious). But most |
| of all, I love its prophetic take-home message that the Galapagos archipelago | of all, I love its prophetic take-home message that the Galapagos archipelago |
| would prove to be a fruitful site for future research. Darwin, as ever, was | would prove to be a fruitful site for future research. Darwin, as ever, was |
| spot on. | spot on. |
| Some of the earliest | Some of the earliest |
| visitors to the Galapagos were horrified by what they found. For the Bishop of Panama, for instance, (who first discovered the islands in 1535), this | visitors to the Galapagos were horrified by what they found. For the Bishop of Panama, for instance, (who first discovered the islands in 1535), this |
| rabble of raw, parched, Pacific volcanoes with their devil-like iguanas and | rabble of raw, parched, Pacific volcanoes with their devil-like iguanas and |
| gargantuan tortoises was like hell on earth. But for Darwin (and all those who | gargantuan tortoises was like hell on earth. But for Darwin (and all those who |
| came in his intellectual wake) the Galapagos archipelago proved to be more like | came in his intellectual wake) the Galapagos archipelago proved to be more like |
| paradise. It was for me. | paradise. It was for me. |
| So when I was | So when I was |
| approached to write a new book on the Galapagos, I was only too delighted. As | approached to write a new book on the Galapagos, I was only too delighted. As |
| anyone who has taken the book-writing plunge will know, it can take a long time to figure out | anyone who has taken the book-writing plunge will know, it can take a long time to figure out |
| the right structure. It usually emerges slowly, organically after an awful lot of writing | the right structure. It usually emerges slowly, organically after an awful lot of writing |
| and overwriting, shuffling passages around and then moving them back. But in | and overwriting, shuffling passages around and then moving them back. But in |
| the case of The Galapagos, I quite quickly hit upon the simple idea of building | the case of The Galapagos, I quite quickly hit upon the simple idea of building |
| up the ecology of the islands, chapter by chapter, from rocks, to the ocean, to | up the ecology of the islands, chapter by chapter, from rocks, to the ocean, to |
| seabirds, to plants, to invertebrates, to land birds, to reptiles and | seabirds, to plants, to invertebrates, to land birds, to reptiles and |
| ultimately to humans. It’s an intuitive structure that helped a lot in the writing. I hope it will make for | ultimately to humans. It’s an intuitive structure that helped a lot in the writing. I hope it will make for |
| an informative and entertaining read | an informative and entertaining read |
| In writing The | In writing The |
| Galapagos, one of my missions has been to mix up the natural and the human | Galapagos, one of my missions has been to mix up the natural and the human |
| history of the archipelago. Most other books on the islands (of which there are | history of the archipelago. Most other books on the islands (of which there are |
| many excellent examples) tend to dwell on either the rocks, plants | many excellent examples) tend to dwell on either the rocks, plants |
| and animals at the exclusion of the humans or vice versa. I wanted to create a | and animals at the exclusion of the humans or vice versa. I wanted to create a |
| single, accessible volume that does both, revealing much of the wonderful natural history but | single, accessible volume that does both, revealing much of the wonderful natural history but |
| through the first-hand experiences of some of the islands’ most famous visitors | |
| (such as the Bishop | |
| of Panama, the American naval officer David Porter, | of Panama, the American naval officer David Porter, |
| Charles Darwin, | Charles Darwin, |
| Moby-Dick author Herman | Moby-Dick author Herman |
| Melville and naturalist William | Melville and naturalist William |
| Beebe) and through the work of dozens of scientists and conservationists | Beebe) and through the work of dozens of scientists and conservationists |
| who have dedicated their lives to the Galapagos over the past several decades. All these works have | |
| been a joy to read, to ponder and to write about. | been a joy to read, to ponder and to write about. |
| Immersing myself in all things Galapagos has also helped me clarify my thinking on why | Immersing myself in all things Galapagos has also helped me clarify my thinking on why |
| these islands matter so much, and not just to fans of the natural world or self-confessed Darwin nuts | these islands matter so much, and not just to fans of the natural world or self-confessed Darwin nuts |
| like me. | like me. |
| If my point is not | If my point is not |
| yet clear, the Galapagos matters. If you go “Like” The Galapagos on my Facebook page, I’ll be very happy. If you buy a copy, I’ll love you forever. | |
| The | The |
| Galapagos: A Natural History goes on sale in the UK today (Profile Books) and will appear in the | Galapagos: A Natural History goes on sale in the UK today (Profile Books) and will appear in the |
| US in April (Basic Books) |