First published 2024
Charles Darwin retreats to his Kent estate, wrestling with ideas that will upend Victorian society. The reclusive naturalist races to complete his theory of natural selection while mysterious ailments rack his body. As Darwin writes feverishly between 1858 and 1860, he knows his work will challenge the church and transform biology forever. Meanwhile, crowds gather at Oxford to debate his explosive claims, but Darwin himself remains absent, too ill to defend his life's work. Howard Markel reconstructs this pivotal period when one man's scientific breakthrough collided with his physical suffering. The medical historian examines Darwin's puzzling symptoms alongside his intellectual triumph, revealing how personal struggle shaped scientific history. This dual investigation uncovers both the making of a masterwork and the medical mystery that haunted its creator.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 19th-century, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: intellectual-triumph, medical-mystery
Setting: Kent, Oxford
Period: 1858-1860
354 pages · Kindle Edition · W. W. Norton & Company