Very interesting, I recommend to go to the first edition

[I]f we must marvel, let it be at our own presumption in imagining for a moment that we understand the many complex contingencies on which the existence of each species depends. (353)

I'm not a proper Biologist so I must confess to more a close skim than a thorough reading of this text. But even a layperson can follow Darwin through his point by point elucidation (provided they're the sort of layperson open to words like "elucidation" I suppose). It's a tight argument, Occam's Razoring a wide path through the facts of the matter, and it's made more impressive by all the foresight and pre-emptive counters to some of the more obvious objections naysayers might be inclined to throw around. And Darwin's quick to clarify what it is he isn't arguing here, owning up to blanks and insufficient data at the time. He comes across a consummate gentleman scientist, very enthusiastic but overly wordy to a contemporary reader.

3 stars for the read, 5 stars for the idea and all its impacts and implications.

Easily the most important and influential intellectual work of the last two hundred years. For a text published in the Victorian period concerning biology, On the Origin of species is surprisingly readable. Taken from Darwin's first edition, this text is simple a most read. Darwin's arguments are meticulous and it's no wonder biologists hold him to such prominence.

Absolutely insane to me that this amount of research, and citing of sources, could be done pre-internet.

An astonishingly enjoyable read. Contrary to what one might expect from a 19th-century scientist, Darwin's prose is lucid and flowing. And of course, it's one of the foundational works of modern biology.

I had no idea what to expect from this book. So many have an opinion on Darwin but apparently few ever get around to reading what he's written.

This book is the work of a great naturalist. I was surprised time and time again at the level of detail and evidence Darwin provided for his theory. He must have spent countless hours observing, analyzing, and pondering the natural world. He clearly knew what he was up against, and rises to the challenge in this book.

There is so much to examine in this book that it will take several readings and then some to get it all. I tried to read carefully and slowly, but once I lost momentum I found it hard to dive back into the book where I left off which is why it took me so long to finish it. This book is not for the casual reader. Be prepared to read and digest and reread and question everything. My brain enjoyed the exercise.

Only required to read through chapter 5.