Appleman’s Masterly Condensation of Darwin’s Origin (June/July 2002)

The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, revised edition, introduced and abridged by Philip Appleman (W.W. Norton & Co., 2002, 134pp.), is another Appleman gem dealing with evolution.

Here, in what Paul Moody has called “a masterly condensation,” is a classic edition of Darwin’s revolutionary book. It retains all of the substance of the original, but only the essential elements of its profuse detail.

Philip Appleman, editor of Darwin, a Norton Critical Edition (“the best Darwin anthology on the market,” according to Stephen Jay Gould), has cut deftly to the essence of Darwin’s classic, losing none of the continuity or flavor of the original. This revision includes a new introduction by Prof. Appleman that perceptively traces Darwin’s influence on the world of ideas.

Philip Appleman is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, where he was a founding editor of Victorian Studies. He is the editor of Thomas Malthus’s An Essay on the Principle of Population (a Norton Critical Edition). He is also the author of an early book about overpopulation, The Silent Explosion, several award-winning books of poetry, including Darwin’s Ark, and three novels, including Apes and Angels.

A Foundation member, he will be speaking at the 25th annual Foundation convention in San Diego in November.

Freedom From Religion Foundation