Launched online are the results of over sixteen years of research,
finding and collecting contemporary book reviews of Darwin’s works by the /Darwin Online <http://darwin-online.org.uk/>/ project, directed by Dr John van Wyhe <http://darwin-online.org.uk/people/van_wyhe.html>. It is the largest collection of reviews ever created for a historical man of science- and probably for any person in history. There are over 1,700 reviews in sixteen languages spanning the years 1835 to the early 20^th century.
One early reviewer of /Origin of Species/ remarked: “Although it is certain that Mr. Darwin's views will cause painful anxiety to many who will regard them as hostile to the truths of Revelation, we cannot share in that anxiety, and are therefore not disposed to discuss the new theory on any other than strictly scientific grounds. …the conclusions announced by Mr. Darwin are such as, if established, would cause a complete revolution in the fundamental doctrines of natural history”.
Other reviewers could not resist poking fun at Darwin and his work, coming up with titles for their reviews such as ‘Darwin demolished’, ‘The angel or the ape’ or ‘The wonders of worm world’.
This new collection will make possible countless new studies, theses and student projects based not on the usual handful of well-known reactions to Darwin, but a near comprehensive picture of the reactions to one of the greatest scientific developments in history.
The collection of reviews is freely available and searchable on /Darwin Online/:
Introduction:
http://darwin-online.org.uk/EditorialIntroductions/vanWyhe_Reviews_of_Darwin.html
The reviews: http://darwin-online.org.uk/reviews.html
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