The Autobiography of Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin's Autobiography was first published in 1887, five years after his death. It is a relatively short book that Darwin wrote for the benefit of his children, so that they would have some idea of who he was and what his antecedents were when he was gone from this earth. He spends most of his time talking about his years growing up and going to school. He also hits heavily on his turn from formal religion to atheism as he grew older. It is interesting how during his training for the ministry he became aware of the obvious contradictions in the various tenets of not just his avowed faith, but of all of the faiths of the world. At that point, he devoted himself to the study of science, initially geology, and also became a great collector...