The Antiquity Of Man

by Charles Lyell

The "Antiquity of Man" was published in 1863, and ran into a third edition in the course of that year. The cause of this is not far to seek. Darwin's "Origin of Species" appeared in 1859, only four years earlier, and rapidly had its effect in drawing attention to the great problem of the origin of living beings. The theories of Darwin and Wallace brought to a head and presented in a concrete shape the somewhat vague speculations as to development and evolution which had long been floating in the minds of naturalists. In the actual working out of Darwin's great theory it is impossible to overestimate the influence of Lyell. This is made abundantly clear in Darwin's letters, and it must never be forgotten that Darwin himself was a geologist. His training in this science enabled him to grasp the import of the facts so ably marshalled by Lyell in the "Principles of Geology," a work which, as Professor Judd has clearly shown,* contributed greatly to the advancement of evolutionary theory in general. (* Judd "The Coming of Evolution" ("Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature") Cambridge 1910 chapters 6 and 7.)

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Genres: Geology, Nonfiction, History, Science

408 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1863

About the author

Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet, FRS was a Scottish geologist who popularised the revolutionary work of James Hutton. He is best known as the author of Principles of Geology, which presented uniformitarianism–the idea that the Earth was shaped by the same scientific processes still in operation today–to the broad general public. He was an influence on the young Charles Darwin.

His scientific contributions included an explanation of earthquakes, the theory of gradual "backed up-building" of volcanoes, and in stratigraphy the division of the Tertiary period into the Pliocene, Miocene, and Eocene. He also coined the currently-used names for geological eras, Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic.

Reviews

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 19th century English were such shitty writers. But they science kinda nutty tho

[Matthew Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Principles of Geology, some parts of this book are undeniably tedious. Lyell was a geologist and a surveyor to the core, the man could measure sediments and slopes for days without the slightest hint of boredom. That being said, we’re incredibly fortunate to have had such intelligent individuals devote their lives to this kind of primary research.

I’d recommend this to anyone who fancies themselves capable of tackling the “big questions” over a quick pint. Reading works like this makes you appreciate how little is left to speculation and how meticulous the study truly was, and it’s only gotten more so since.

The book really comes into its own in the last hundred pages: important work, brilliantly concluded. Stick with it, the payoff is worth the patience.