Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

All Things Darwin: An Encyclopedia of Darwin's World. By Patrick H. Armstrong. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007. 1 vol. 564 p. $149.95. ISBN 10: 0-313-333492-7; 13: 978-0-313-33492-4.

Because Darwin's life so closely matched the life of Queen Victoria that he is known as the Great Victorian Naturalist and this volume allows students to delve into the science of that period. His life and work was possible due to the expanding British Empire which allowed the Royal Navy to give him the ship, the Beagle, allowing him to conduct his research. They will learn that he wrote some 30 books and that many, in their later revisions, were so thoroughly revised that they could be considered almost different publications. This reference, beginning with the cover with its title and subtitle (with the exception of the word, Darwin) in cursive, has all headings in the two volumes written in cursive, giving the book itself an air of Victorian England. The 1^st vol. has a "List of Entries," a "Guide to Related Topics" and a family tree starting with his grandparents. Illustrations range from black and white photographs taken by this author of places Darwin visited, maps, drawings, a table showing the development of Darwin's "Theory of Coral Reefs," and title pages of publications illustrate the text. Many articles have bibliographies. Appendixes include "Introduction to the Extracts from Darwin's Works" and a 2-page general bibliography. This is useful not only in science classes but also in world history because of its description of the Victorian Era.