Darwin's Ghost: The Origin of Species Updated

"Compelling", "richly readable", "an extraordinary ride through Darwinism, yesterday and today" -- these are only a sample of the praises that Steve Jones's elegant retelling of Darwin's The Origin of Species has earned. As Darwin's "ghostwriter", Jones has updated the 19th -- century masterpiece with contemporary examples drawn from our ever-expanding scientific knowledge -- using evidence and anecdotes of which Darwin could not even have conceived -- to restate evolution's case for the twenty-first century.

Darwin's masterpiece may be the best-known but least-read of landmark books. Darwin had only the facts of the nineteenth century to support his argument, and today's readers must struggle with his Victorian prose and antiquated examples. Jones breathes new life and vitality into Darwin's logic, and adds astonishing discoveries of today to make their case, bringing together the AIDS virus, dog shows, sheep who never forget a face, the Battle of the Somme and the garbage that floats in the Pacific to add indisputable evidence supporting the fact of evolution.

Filled with anecdotes humor, and the latest research, "Darwin's Ghost" is a popular account of the science that makes life make sense.