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Darwin on the exchange of letters: "It is seldom that one individual has the power giving to another such a sum of pleasure, as you this day have granted me.— I know not whether the conviction of being loved, be more delightful or the corresponding one of loving in return.— I ought for I have experienced them both in excess."
Read MoreCharles “connoisseur of deserts” Darwin has reached Cape Town, which he finds to be a great mass of boarding houses and inns, bustling with travelers to the far East and back. The word “Nabobs” refers to people returning from overseas, often India, having acquired wealth there. Towards the end of the letter, rather amusingly, Darwin […]
Read MoreAs Darwin watches the preparation of the H.M.S. Beagle, he gets (understandably) excited. It also turns out that Captain FitzRoy was popular with the ladies. Darwin fears that he will get seasick on the voyage; it happens to everyone. Little did he know how bad it would be, and that raisins were all he could […]
Read MoreThe writer’s life hasn’t changed much. Move to the big city, live in a tiny apartment, and get dragged down by all the distractions and frustrations that accompany this process. When I moved to New York, I had the same demoralizing situation; jobless for several months; interning for free. So I can relate to Darwin’s […]
Read MoreSeptember 5, 2008 What do you pack for a journey around the world? Well, if the year is 1831, guns. Lots of them. Charles Darwin wrote his sister Susan 177 years ago tomorrow with a packing list for the H.M.S. Beagle voyage, and fears that he’s a bother for asking for more and more stuff. […]
Read MoreDaddy! I wanna go on the boat! The fateful decision is made September 1: Charles Darwin will indeed sail on the Beagle. Here’s some back-and-forth between Charles, his father, and Francis Beaufort, British Royal Navy Captain and hydrographer. Beaufort approved Darwin for the voyage, and his Wikipedia entry alone is testament to how interesting a […]
Read MoreOn August 7, 1832, in Montevideo, Charles Darwin is packing heat. He’s getting grizzled, turning into a rough and tumble explorer. Two weeks earlier he writes: “our beards are all sprouting.— my face at presents looks of about the same tint as a half washed chimney sweeper.— With my pistols in my belt & geological […]
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