On the Origin of Species

Starred review from August 25, 2008
Originally published in 1859, Darwin’s revolutionary idea is revisited in this spirited and profoundly enthralling reading by Professor Richard Dawkins, who in reading Darwin’s material aloud manages to rediscover old ideas and unearth some dramatic subtleties in his prose. Dawkins offers a well-pronounced, pitch-perfect delivery and smartly never attempts to turn the reading into a performance from Darwin’s point of view. Instead, Dawkins delivers the material from his own context as a modern-day interpreter of the classical work. Dawkins also splendidly adapts this abridgment, leaving out sections of Darwin’s original theories that have been discredited by modern science. Dawkins says he believes his alterations are what Darwin himself would have wished for the recording, and the final result is an absolutely astounding glimpse into life as we know it.

Narrator Peter Wickham lends a necessary tone of discovery and excitement to Darwin's seminal work, in which he outlines his theory of evolution. Wickham injects the thrill of discovery into his reading, a useful counterbalance to the occasionally overwhelming lists of examples that Darwin employs to illustrate his theory. Wickham responds to the systematic and factual tone of the writing with a nuanced consideration of pace, adjusting his reading suitably to the lists included in the text, which can occasionally interrupt the otherwise conversational flow of the writing. But imbued in the text are Darwin's pioneering spirit and endearing excitement at the potential of his own research. This is a tone that Wickham rarely overlooks, and employs to great effect, allowing the listener to feel intimately involved with Darwin's South American expedition. Z.S. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine