The Voyage of the Beagle (Unabridged)

By: Charles Darwin

Narrated by: David Case

Charles Darwin was just 22 when he went on his first voyage around the world in 1831. Darwin's father at first refused to allow his young son to go on the voyage. Fortunately, his father relented, and Darwin's journal is now considered by many to be the greatest scientific travel narrative ever written.

Revised by the author in 1860, this is an account of his experiences on the HMS Beagle, a ship that was mapping the coast of South America. What was set to be a two-to-three year voyage stretched out to a five year adventure. Darwin took copious notes during the voyage, notes which would later lead to his formulation of the theory of evolution. He was able to observe coral reefs, fossil-filled rocks, earthquakes, and more, first-hand, and made his own deductions.

NOTE: Because of an edit in the original audio recording, five pages are omitted from Darwin's manuscript.

©1995 Phoenix Recordings (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

extremely solid stuff 👍👍👍

i liked this one a lot; was wild(!)

easier-to-read than OTOOS [more of a story than an explanation/lecture], Darwin takes us [via his journals, etc.] onto the Beagle, which sails around much of the world; describing the terrain, hydrography, botany, zoology, etc. [he's a naturalist by profession it seems], collecting survey data for his benefactor [& a noble pursuit for the species, he asserts -- that being the attainment of knowledge]

i'd really really recommend reading [audiobook: good!] this book, as it intimately describes, as a snapshot w/ great detail, a then changing from 'savage' to 'civilized' world

the end has an essay by Captain FitzRoy, which is simultaneously interesting & wild [pushes belief, really]

of note: FitzRoy mentions the "globe" to be 8,000 miles in diameter... & notes we'd then only penetrated 1-2 miles in; then he [different than Darwin] goes on & on about dinosaurs... his bit feels like a detraction/distraction -- also my audiobook, unabridged, notes an edit removes 5 pages from the OG manuscript...

i'm inspired to read more works by Royal Navy/explorer folks; learning about trade & whatnot

Loads of info, narration very effected

Hard to get past the obviously over done narration, almost a parody of pompous elocution delivered by a Monte Python character. Is this what Darwin really sounded like? I keep asking myself. if so, He would be right at home in monte pythons infamous cheese shop!

Fascinating

Would you consider the audio edition of The Voyage of the Beagle (Unabridged) to be better than the print version?

Can't say since I haven't read the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A

Which character – as performed by David Case – was your favorite?

N/A

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it's nice to take a break to digest the information in batches.

Any additional comments?

The book is fascinating. Topics covered range from geology - lots of it - to social commentary, with a good smattering of biology. Arguments are meticulously built and it's a good example of scientific thought processes at work. The appendices are also surprisingly interesting.

Interesting on several levels

This book has many fascinating sections. Darwin was specially gifted in that he combined the ability to observe both minutely and thoroughly with the ability to analyze his observations in novel ways.

The book does not discuss evolution, although there are some tantalizing hints of the ideas he would later develop in The Origin of Species. There are some great discussions of geology, which was Darwin's first interest.

There are also some uncomfortable sections of the book, in which Darwin delves into the sociology, or anthropology, of the various natives he meets. While his observations are still keen, his analysis does not escape the prejudices of his day. That is disappointing, but perhaps it makes his breakthroughs in the physical sciences even more impressive.

a Great "read"

Would you consider the audio edition of The Voyage of the Beagle (Unabridged) to be better than the print version?

It is a great way to get through a long book. The great, older language is best heard spoken with a British accent.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Voyage of the Beagle (Unabridged)?

This historical descriptions of the landscape and conditions of life.

Have you listened to any of David Case’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no, it is far too long.

Any additional comments?

I highly reccomend this book. It is also informative of how the stage was set for Darwins later work on the Origin.

Bearable only if you're really interested...

David Case transforms what is mildly interesting material into something plodding and tedious. He couldn't have sounded more bored if he was professionally trained to do so and it made me long for the days when I could sit and read a book.

The reader makes this book a trial.

I hope someone will re-do this book (unabridged) with a reader who has some of the fire, passion, muscle, and keen intelligence of the young Darwin. David Case's Wodehousian primness has no place in such a universe as that of Darwin's natural and often deeply human world.

very poor voice quality

I was so looking forward to this book that the very poor quality of the reader was doubly disappointing. This person sounds as if he has toilet paper wadded up in both nostrils and a tight rubber band around his tonsils, or some place else. I did listen to the sample, but apparently not long enough to appreciate the grating and monotonous qualities of this reader's voice. Appalling and a waste of money. Definitely not what I would expect from Audible.

Good Book, Awful Reading

David Case strikes again.