Charles Darwin 
Charles Darwin 
His Life and Evolution

From The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin

Edited by his Son Francis Darwin:



My father’s autobiographical recollections, given in this book, were written for his children, —and written without any thought that they would ever be published. To many this may seem an impossibility; but those who knew my father will understand how it was not only possible, but natural. The autobiography bears the heading, ‚Recollections of the Development of my Mind and Character, ‚ and end with the following note:—’Aug. 3, 1876. This sketch of my life was begun about May 28th at Hopedene (Mr. Hensleigh Wedgwood’s house in Surrey.), and since then I have written for nearly an hour on most afternoons.‘ It will easily be understood that, in a narrative of a personal and intimate kind written for his wife and children, passages should occur which must here be omitted; and I have not thought it necessary to indicate where such omissions are made. It has been found necessary to make a few corrections of obvious verbal slips, but the number of such alterations has been kept down to the minimum.—Francis Darwin