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Darwin was not the first to speculate about the origin of species. Among the many letters of both praise and outrage that he received on the publication of his theory of evolution was one that accused him of failing to acknowledge the work of his forbears. Novelist and historian Rebecca Stott tells the story of those predecessors who dared to advance similar theories at a time when it was incredibly dangerous to do so. The story goes back as far as Aristotle and includes Leonardo da Vinci’s search for fossils in Tuscany and Diderot’s explorations under the watch of the French secret police.
Stott, professor of English literature and creative writing at the University of East Anglia, was shortlisted for the Jelf First Novel Award and Society of Authors First Book Award for Ghostwalk. She has written eleven books including three works on history of science.