In 1859 Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. In this bedrock of biology books Darwin carved a new origin-story for all life: evolution rather than creation.

In his new biography J. David Archibald describes and analyses Darwin’s prodigious body of work, as well as his equally productive home life - he lived with his wife and seven children in the hectic environs of Down House, south of London. There among his family and friends Darwin continued to experiment and write many more books on orchids, sex, emotions, and earthworms until his death in 1882, when he was honoured with burial at Westminster Abbey. This is a fresh, up-to-date account of the life and work of a most remarkable man.