"Darwin's 'Beagle' notebooks are the most direct sources we have for his experiences on his epic voyage, and they now survive as some of the most precious documents in the history of science and exploration, written by the man who later used these notes to develop one of the greatest scientific theories of all time." "The book contains complete transcriptions of the 15 notebooks that Darwin used over the 5 years of the voyage to record his 'on the spot' geological and general observations. Unlike the many other documents that he also created, the field notebooks are not confined to any one subject or genre. Instead, they record the full range of his interests and activities during the voyage, with notes and observations on the rocks, fossils, plants and animals that he saw and collected. They also record his encounters with peoples of the various countries he travelled to, alongside maps, drawings, shopping lists, memoranda, theoretical essays and personal diary entries." "Some of Darwin's critical discoveries and experiences, made famous through his own publications, are recorded in their most immediate form in the notebooks, and published here for the very first time. The notebook texts are fully edited and accompanied by introductions that explain in detail Darwin's adventures at each stage of the voyage, and focus on discoveries which were pivotal to convincing him that life on Earth had evolved."--Jacket.