Product Description

'After having twice been driven back by heavy south-west gales, Her Majesty's Ship Beagle, a ten-gun brig under the command of Captain Fitzroy, sailed from Devonport on the 27th December, 1813.' With these words, Charles Darwin began his account of the voyage that was to change his life and ours. Almost 190 years later, we know a great deal about Darwin and his adventures on the HMS Beagle, but almost nothing about the ship. Hardly some dashing frigate or three-decker ablaze with guns and glory, the Beagle was, a "coffin brig", more likely to sink than make two successful circumnavigations of the Earth. For such a famous ship,surprisingly little is known about the Beagle. Keith Thomson has created a biography of the ship - her construction, her voyages, and even her final resting place.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #483618 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Keith S. Thomson is a zoologist and palaeontologist, and was formerly dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale University. He now runs the University Museum in Oxford.

Customer Reviews

Love ships? This is a winner
Brilliant history. Fine writing. Great balance between story-telling and information. The Beagle is a ship with a rich personal history; plus it stands for many things in British history. Far more than Dawin and the Galapagos. This volume offers a splendid wider frame.