I'm rereading this for the first time in about 25 years. I'm actually reading the same copy that I previously read - a Pelican Classic. I'm getting a LOT more out of it this time than I did previously. So much stuff I missed of which I missed the significance. Some of it I missed altogether. Amazing book. It reads like some nerdy kid telling you about his ant collection.
His expertise is thorough and wide-ranging. He derives his ideas not just from his voyages, but also from experiments he has done, his experience as a naturalist and breeder, his correspondence with professionals and scientists, and a vast range of reading. Natural Selection isn't just something he pulled out of his backside. I think one of the central problems of this book is that Darwin is a Keen Observer and a Deep Thinker. Not many people can think so deeply as he does. I suspect not many could even recognize it.
