The most accessible edition ever published of Darwin’s incendiary classic, edited by as fine a science essayist as we have” (New York Times) The Descent of Man, Darwin’s second landmark work on evolutionary theory (following The Origin of the Species), marked a turning point in the history of science with its modern vision of human nature as the product of evolution. Darwin argued that the noblest features of humans, such as language and morality, were the result of the same natural processes that produced iris petals and scorpion tails. To convey the revolutionary importance of this groundbreaking book, renowned evolutionary science writer Carl Zimmer edited this special abridged edition—made up of nine excerpts, each one representing one of Darwin’s major themes—and wrote illuminating introductions to each section, as well as an overall introduction. Zimmer brilliantly places Darwin’s basic ideas in the context of the current understanding of human nature and twenty-first-century DNA research. By accessibly presenting Darwin’s thinking to a modern readership, Zimmer eloquently demonstrates Darwin’s ever-increasing relevance and amazing scientific insight.

CARL ZIMMER is the award-winning author of Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins, Soul Made Flesh (a New York Times Notable Book, 2004), and several other books about evolution and science. He writes regularly for the New York Times, National Geographic, Science, Newsweek, and Discover, where he is a contributing editor. In 2002 he was named a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow.