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November 23, 2009

Charles Darwin gets no respect

originofthespecies.jpg

The Father of Evolution has been in the news a lot lately, and not much of it has been good.

 First, the author's groundbreaking "On the Origin of the Species" gets a rewrite. And it's not by a scientist or an educator -- no, it's by a religious organization championed by former teen heart-throb Kirk Cameron. Yes, this guy.

The new version of Darwin's book detailing the theory of evolution now includes an introduction calling Darwin a racist and connecting the science to Adolf Hitler.

It's been said before -- many times -- but as soon as you start crying "Nazi!" everyone pretty much stops listening to you. And for good reason. Is this any way to treat someone on their 150th birthday?

And then there was news from across the Atlantic: an extremely rare first edition of Origin of the Species had been found in Oxford, England!  Where has the book been for the past century and a half? Well, in a bathroom -- for a few years, at least. A British family bought the book 40 years ago, presumably unaware of its value, until Christie's auction house got a hold of it. They expect the book to sell for $99,000.

But before you all rush to your restrooms searching for your own first editions, I do have some good news for evolution fans: On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation. It's a beautiful book, with rich illustrations and no Hitler references. Go check it out!

Posted by Nancy Knight at 9:05 AM | | Comments (1)
        

Comments

Thanks for the link to the graphic novel. Seems like a perfect Christmas present for a budding scientist in our household.

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While she always preferred The Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew, Nancy Knight grew up reading nearly everything she could get her hands on, including a probably unhealthy amount of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike, with the obligatory Jane Austen thrown in. She'll still read just about anything you put in front of her, especially the funny or weird. She lives in the city with her books, cat and drum set.

Dave Rosenthal came to The Baltimore Sun as a business reporter in 1987 and now is an assistant managing editor and Sunday editor. He reads a wide range of books (but never as many as he'd like), usually alternating between non-fiction and fiction. Some all-time favorites: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole; Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery; and anything by Calvin Trillin or John McPhee. He belongs to a book club with a Jewish theme.
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