NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview (PDF) of Eugene Byrne and Simon Gurr's Darwin: A Graphic Biography (Smithsonian Books, 2013). The preview consists of pp. 60-75, in which Darwin, returned from his five-year voyage around the world in the Beagle, debates whether to marry, studies baboons and monkeys in the London Zoo, marries his cousin Emma Wedgwood and moves to Downe in Kent, and studies barnacles and pigeons. The excerpt concludes, "But now Darwin was ready to write a book about the subject that he had been thinking about for all this time — the way that nature, unassisted by man, creates a new species. In other words, NATURAL SELECTION. But then disaster threatened."
The publisher writes, "Darwin: A Graphic Biography is an inspiring expedition into the physical and intellectual adventures of Charles Darwin. ... Darwin's life presented in this form is an inspirational tale for kids of all ages. They'll be sure to identify with a curious young Darwin finding his way on youthful adventures in the fields near his house. The ups, downs, and near-misses of Darwin's youth are portrayed honestly and without foreshadowing of his later fame. This is a key point for younger readers: that Darwin wasn't somehow predestined to greatness. He was curious, patient, and meticulous. He persevered — a great lesson about what science is all about."