In 1905, eight men from the California Academy of Sciences set sail from San Francisco for a scientific collection expedition in the Galapagos Islands, and by the time they were finished in 1906, they had completed one of the most important expeditions in the history of both evolutionary and conservation science. These scientists collected over 78,000 specimens during their time on the islands, validating the work of Charles Darwin and laying the groundwork for foundational evolution texts like Darwin's Finches. Despite its significance, almost nothing has been written on this voyage, lost amongst discussion of Darwin's trip on the Beagle and the writing of David Lack.
In Collecting Evolution, author Matthew James finally tells the story of the 1905 Galapagos expedition. James follows these eight young men aboard the Academy to the Galapagos and back, and reveals the reasons behind the groundbreaking success they had. A current Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, James uses his access to unpublished writings and photographs to provide unprecedented insight into the expedition. We learn the voyagers' personal stories, and how, for all the scientific progress that was made, just as much intense personal drama unfolded on the trip. This book shares a watershed moment in scientific history, crossed with a maritime adventure. There are four tangential suicides and controversies over credit and fame. Collecting Evolution also explores the personal lives and scientific context that preceded this voyage, including what brought Darwin to the Galapagos on the Beagle voyage seventy years earlier. James discusses how these men thought of themselves as
"collectors" before they thought of themselves as scientists, and the implications this had on their approach and their results.
In the end, the voyage of the Academy proved to be crucial in the development of evolutionary science as we know it. It is the longest expedition in Galapagos history, and played a critical role in cementing Darwin's legacy. Collecting Evolution brings this extraordinary story of eight scientists and their journey to life.
Industry Reviews
"The author's focus upon the activities of the young collectors lends an attractive sense of concreteness to his narrative. He leaves no reason to doubt that collecting in the field can be difficult, dangerous, and exhausting work, amid vomit, bed bugs, and swamping boats." -- Michael T. Ghiselin, The Quarterly Review of Biology
"James's study is a lucid, often lively, contribution to an episode in the annals of evolution that is less well known than perhaps it should be. The book benefits from the author's extensive utilization of the diaries, field notes, journals, photographs, and correspondence of the eight biologists aboard Academy." -- Professor Martin Fichman, Isis Journal
"For readers, Charles Darwin, born in 1809, apparently never gets old... Currently we get about 160 a year - a Darwin tome every 2.3 days. Even with a book population so large, most years bring notable additions, and so it is in 2017... the geologist Matthew J. James's Collecting Evolution recounts a 1905-6 Galapagos visit in which the legendary field naturalist Rollo Beck, wielding shotgun, burlap bags and camera, made observations that provided
crucial support for Darwin's work in those islands." -- New York Times Book Review, 18 September 2017
"James writes well and delivers a stimulating account of evolutionary thought through the years" -- Publishers Weekly
"An excellent read on the last collection voyage to Galapagos" -- Galapagos Matters
