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36th out of 174 books
—
67 voters
Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation
A stunning graphic adaptation of one of the most famous, contested, and important books of all time.
Few books have been as controversial or as historically significant as Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Since the moment it was released on November 24, 1859, Darwin’s mas...more
Few books have been as controversial or as historically significant as Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Since the moment it was released on November 24, 1859, Darwin’s mas...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
October 27th 2009
by Rodale Books
(first published January 1st 2009)
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I've picked up The Origin of Species several times, started in and found myself thinking about what I had for breakfast. Blame it on my never-diagnosed (but evolutionarily adaptive!) ADD, but I couldn't get through much of the original version. But THIS-- this is pure genius. The highlights of Darwin's text in the original language, with excerpts from his correspondence, and some post-Darwin clarifications of the theory, all framed within lush drawings of newts, ice-age creep, continental drift,...more
How scholarly can a graphic novel be? This one is surprisingly good - though most of its four stars are for the drawings, which are just amazing. Other than that, it is all here - speciation, isolation, genetic drift, natural selection, niche exploitation, sexual selection. My problems with the text are small factual ones:
Forgetting to add "and Australia" is a small oversight and the origins of the emu...more
"From the great Ostrich in Africa to its smaller cousins the rhea and emu in South America."
Forgetting to add "and Australia" is a small oversight and the origins of the emu...more
Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species is one of those seminal works that everybody should read but that very few have. I myself admit to having more than once picked it up and flipped through its pages, decided that it was too long and dry, and returned it to the shelf with some regret. So, when I saw this adaptation, written by Michael Keller and illustrated by Nicolle Rager Fuller, I was intrigued. It seemed much more inviting than the original.
I wasn't disappointed either. It was a quick...more
I wasn't disappointed either. It was a quick...more
Who would’ve thought Darwin’s most famous treatise could be brilliantly adaptation into the comics medium? (Perhaps “graphic novel” is a better, more refined and respectable term. But sometimes you just have to call it what it is. If it’s in told through visual pictures and panels accompanied with words, it’s a comic by any other name.)
Keller’s narrative expertly weaves the biographical and historical events in Darwin’s life with succinct lucid explanations on the many mechanisms behind his the...more
Keller’s narrative expertly weaves the biographical and historical events in Darwin’s life with succinct lucid explanations on the many mechanisms behind his the...more
This is a book that fails to deliver on its ample promise. It is only a mediocre introduction to evolution and it is not a good adaptation of Darwin's book. This is what bothered me the most.
Perhaps it is inevitable that any book on evolution produced today would respond to the controversy by trying to answer the objections of those who would add intelligent design to the curriculum. As a result, it is difficult for the reader to tell where Darwin's book ends and modern science begins. That make...more
Perhaps it is inevitable that any book on evolution produced today would respond to the controversy by trying to answer the objections of those who would add intelligent design to the curriculum. As a result, it is difficult for the reader to tell where Darwin's book ends and modern science begins. That make...more
I'm with the hoards of other people out there that want to read a classic/controversial book, but find they don't have the time or the will to go about it. So, when I saw the library had picked up the graphic novel edition - and it didn't look cheesy - I thought I'd give it a shot.
I felt a little cheap reading the graphic adaptation, but all of the text was direct language from Darwin's book, or scientific commentary on it. (And the pictures were fantastic...)
I wanted to come away with the feeli...more
I felt a little cheap reading the graphic adaptation, but all of the text was direct language from Darwin's book, or scientific commentary on it. (And the pictures were fantastic...)
I wanted to come away with the feeli...more
1 like · like · see review
This book confirms something I already kinda knew -- I don't find science writing to be fun pleasure reading. I really struggled to understand both Darwin's theories and how the art was supposed to work in with the story. The art was not good from a comics perspective. Often the panels were hard to follow (which one comes next??) and overall there was nothing inspired about the art. The only parts I truly enjoyed were the biographical sketches in the beginning and the end. I think there is poten...more
I always wanted to know what I did or did not know about this most divisive of books.
My reaction to the science was unusual: there were surprising tidbits and ramifications of "survival of the fittest" I had not previously realized and yet at the end of the book it all seemed like common sense and I can't think of what I learned that was new. The science is truly like that, both complex and simple at once.
This was a great introduction and good for beginners, but the prose was a little thick an...more
My reaction to the science was unusual: there were surprising tidbits and ramifications of "survival of the fittest" I had not previously realized and yet at the end of the book it all seemed like common sense and I can't think of what I learned that was new. The science is truly like that, both complex and simple at once.
This was a great introduction and good for beginners, but the prose was a little thick an...more
Four stars because of the mostly beautiful illustrations of animals, plants, and geology.The quality of the adaptation was in general very high. I am glad notes were included to update the reader on later findings related to Darwin's work.
I do suggest reading this book in small bursts unless one is really familiar with the contents already. There is so much information I found myself reading things twice at times! My only qualm was the illustrations of people. They really appeared poorly done t...more
I do suggest reading this book in small bursts unless one is really familiar with the contents already. There is so much information I found myself reading things twice at times! My only qualm was the illustrations of people. They really appeared poorly done t...more
This was an interesting way to get people to read an otherwise very dense text. Excerpts of the original language were kept - so you get the feeling you're reading 19th century writing, but it's simplified and illustrated. There were times when more modern research was referenced, and I came away wondering what was from the original and what was added - it was hard to tell. Also, I found some areas "over illustrated" where the abundance of pictures got in the way of understanding the ideas. But,...more
Rife with inaccuracies, many of them stemming from the attempt by the author to update Origin with new information. A lot of these additions are less than helpful, and a good number are misleading because of the way they are phrased, or flat-out false. The quality of the artwork is less than optimal, though I appreciate how hard it is to find an artist who is good at drawing both humans and the sort of animal and plant illustrations science requires, and who works quickly and consistently enough...more
As seen on Science News.
I would have appreciated a greater explanation (an introduction, perhaps?) of how much was text from On the Origin of Species and how much was artistic license. About a third of the way through, I concluded that one particular font was Darwin's words, and another kind of font was used to illustrate examples of Darwin's principles using what we know now about evolutionary biology.
The selection of Darwin's text was quite dry: it's not really the kind of book that makes me w...more
I would have appreciated a greater explanation (an introduction, perhaps?) of how much was text from On the Origin of Species and how much was artistic license. About a third of the way through, I concluded that one particular font was Darwin's words, and another kind of font was used to illustrate examples of Darwin's principles using what we know now about evolutionary biology.
The selection of Darwin's text was quite dry: it's not really the kind of book that makes me w...more
I was disappointed in the book. The artwork on the cover is really beautiful, but it doesn't really reflect the much lower level of craftsmanship through the rest of the book.
In terms of content, this is a decent way to get an overview of Darwin's great book, but the organization and layout in the book (especially in the intro and afterword) leave a lot to be desired. It took too much time on too many pages to figure out what image went with what text, and in what order the text should be read.
In terms of content, this is a decent way to get an overview of Darwin's great book, but the organization and layout in the book (especially in the intro and afterword) leave a lot to be desired. It took too much time on too many pages to figure out what image went with what text, and in what order the text should be read.
This comic-book adaptation of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" is fun, informative, and very quick read. The illustrations work very well, helping to demonstrate commonalities and differences between species.
The book also includes occasional more modern bits of information - these are usually spelled out as distinct from the Darwin portions in editors' notes, though at times it gets to be a bit confusing as to which parts are coming directly from Darwin and which parts aren't.
The book also includes occasional more modern bits of information - these are usually spelled out as distinct from the Darwin portions in editors' notes, though at times it gets to be a bit confusing as to which parts are coming directly from Darwin and which parts aren't.
Bukunya keren! Dengan ada gambarnya seperti komik, ya emang dasarnya ini buku adaptasi grafis, jadi kita dapat menikmati cerita dengan ilustrasinya. Hanya saja disayangkan tulisannya yang seolah-olah tulisan tangan, seperti tulisan sambung, kecil-kecil, dan tipis gitu, jadi agak susah dibacanya. Kadang malas membacanya dan jadi liat gambarnya aja. Coba ukuran hurufnya lebih diperbesar dikit, buku ini pasti cocok deh buat anak-anak sekolah. :)
The illustrated adaptation of classic works genre is really intriguing to me. I really appreciated the artwork in the book and some of the updated editors notes concerning the Origin of Species. However, this is absolutely meant for younger readers. This is a great way to introduce young readers to the very abstract concepts of evolution, biology, and ecology. But if you're seeking a complete text, this isn't the way to go.
Pretty good presentation of the basic lines of reasoning in Darwin's On the Origin of Species with a conclusion that ties in the last century and a half's worth of discoveries in the fields comprising evolutionary biology. The artwork is at times really wonderful and at other times merely distracting. My biggest complaint was that it was hard to tell at times when the words were Darwin's and when Keller's; my response to my own complaint is that it is now time to read the original so I will know...more
Sep 26, 2012
Bonnie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
graphic-novel,
2009-books
I will be honest here...it's a little dry. But that's because Darwin's original The Origin of Species, while incredibly brilliant and highly readable for the scientific tract it is, can also be very dry.
This graphic adaptation is pretty much what it says on the box. There's a bit of biographical information on Darwin in the beginning (in graphic novel form, of course) and then after that it's just a graphic novel version of The Origin of Species, putting illustrations to Darwin's original text...more
This graphic adaptation is pretty much what it says on the box. There's a bit of biographical information on Darwin in the beginning (in graphic novel form, of course) and then after that it's just a graphic novel version of The Origin of Species, putting illustrations to Darwin's original text...more
Beautiful illustrations in creative adaptation of Origin of Species based on his letters (with editor's footnotes correcting the parts where he was wrong) and a great ending of Darwin getting a guided tour of his legacy (skipping over the bad parts) of where we are now with the latest developments of his theories.
A fairly well-drawn graphic interpretation of Darwin's theories on the origin of species. I enjoyed this much more than trying to slog my way through the actual On the Origin of Species. I did have a hard time determining which words belonged to Darwin and which ones belonged to Keller.
This (being heavily illustrated) is the only way I think I could get through On the Origin of Species, and I really wanted to read it after reading Charles and Emma. But even with all the pictures, I have to admit that fell asleep nearly every time I got more than 3 pages in. I just don't enjoy non-fiction. I feel like that's some kind of character flaw.
I thought the art in this book was amazingly beautiful, but the text bogged me down in parts. In fact, my favorite parts of this book (other than the art) were the beginning and end. The beginning described Darwin's life and what he was going through when he wrote On the Origin of Species. The ending described some of the debate which occurred after he published and the science which has been done since then.
The sketchy style of the illustrations fit the material perfectly and helped me picture the concepts. It also contains some updates and a nice timeline at the end of the discoveries made after the theory was published.
This is a great book for the young person interested in what evolution is all about. I intend on giving it to my grandson, he's not much of a reader, but I hope this will set a spark of inquiry
Like many people, I was familiar with the general themes of the book but had never read it. This graphic adaptation was phenomenal, the artwork was beautiful and went a long way to helping to elucidate some of the theories in the book. I would definitely recommend it!
THIS. IS. AMAZING. Beautifully done, accurate, and wonderful. It's a nice, modern, clean approach to a subject that has previously been housed in a moldy, dusty volume in the 576's.
Best way for anyone to learn about Darwin. The illustrations are amazing and even uses some original sketches from Darwin's journal. Great introduction for all ages!
I have gotten stuck by the heavy prose of Darwin's original tome several times. This Adaptation is a marvelous way to capture his genius in a comic book form and, I think, lose but little on the bargan.
Recommended on Skeptically Speaking show #90 on December 17, 2010. http://skepticallyspeaking.ca/episode...
interessante bewerking: de tekeningen in combinatie met de (vereenvoudigde) tekst is ideaal voor iemand die niet echt wetenschappelijk onderlegd is
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Apr 05, 2011 08:40am