"A readable and very detailed account of Darwin's early years and the influences that shaped him."--Jim Endersby, Sunday Telegraph "Thomson, who manages to be stylish, scholarly and entertaining all at the same time, investigates Darwin's early years and how he arrived at his revolutionary ideas."-- Scientific American "A subtle and scrupulous account of what Darwin learned as a young man . and how this differed from what he was prepared, as an old sage, to admit to having been taught."--Andrew Brown, New Statesman "It has always irked me that Darwin is known by the iconic image of him as a bearded ancient being, when his world-changing ideas came to him as a virile young man. Happily, this book redresses the balance."--Rowan Hooper, New Scientist "What we have here is not just a specific study of how Darwin came to write what he did but a general study into the working of a mind."-- Contemporary Review "[In] this well-written and interesting book, Thomson works out and demonstrates in detail the education of Charles Darwin.

He removes that apparent discrepancy between the 'ordinary boy' and the man buried in Westminster Abbey nearby that other English genius, Isaac Newton."--Léo F Laporte, Reports of the National Center for Science Education "Thomson delivers a lively account of how this naive young student became the iconoclastic bearer of 'the most dangerous idea of the past two hundred years.' . Drawing on his letters, diary entries and autobiographical work as well as his public intellectual struggles, Thomson's angle on Darwin's early life is fresh and vivid."-- Publishers Weekly "Thomson's writing style is fluid and engaging and his grasp of the Darwinian literature encyclopedic. His scholarly thoroughness is balanced by his very human appreciation for a very human scientist. Highly recommended."--R.

Gilmour, Choice "Written in a highly accessible style that will appeal to a wide range of readers. There is much of value here."--Catherine Day and James G. Lennox, Review Forum on Charles Darwin and Darwiniana "I have never seen a Darwin biography with such a richly detailed account of the scientific and educational milieu in which the young naturalist was nurtured and that formed the basis for his ideas and achievements. And the whole is written in the flowing, accessible, entertaining, nontechnical style that has graced Thomson's other books."--Richard Milner, author of Darwin's Universe: Evolution from A to Z "Keith Thomson's fresh and lively account will surely bring Darwin back into focus as an exceptional scholar, traveler, family man, and author. Highly recommended."--Janet Browne, author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: The Power of Place "The image of Darwin as the doddering old sage of Down, taking his daily constitutional walks about the backyard sand path thinking deep thoughts about the philosophical implications of evolution, has become so iconic that we forget what he was like in his youth and prime.

Keith Thomson has brilliantly resurrected the young Charles Darwin, revealing the inchoate mind of a genius in the early stages of countless starts and stops, hunches and hypotheses. This compelling narrative reminds us of how creativity and insight really begin."--Michael Shermer, publisher, Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist, Scientific American , author of Why Darwin Matters.