Charles Darwin's Origin of Species: Bite-Sized

The bite-sized adaptation of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is a carefully abridged version of his masterpiece which reproduces every argument and point that Darwin made in the 1859 First Edition but presents them in 21,000 words – less than 15% the length of the original. The aim has been to make the Origin more accessible to the general public, students and Darwin specialists.

This short version conveys the potency of Darwin’s theorising by capturing the essence of his arguments clearly and simply. Care has been taken to retain Darwin’s turn of phrase (clarified as necessary) so as to confer a strong sense of the original work and its much-vaunted period charm and style. A selection of notable quotations is provided at the start of the book and at the end of each chapter.

Darwin’s great work—his theory of evolution by natural selection—has expanded over the last 150 years to infiltrate and shed light on all the life sciences. Yet it remains almost as controversial today as it was in his lifetime, particularly with regard to the teaching of evolution versus intelligent design in schools.

Those with an interest in exploring Darwin’s writing will find the substance of his thinking contained in this concise account of his greatest work. Scholars may usefully read the bite-sized version in tandem with the original work. A short introduction by the author provides an historical context for Darwin's Origin and an explanation of what he really meant by the term ‘origin of species’.