I studied Darwin’s theory of evolution extensively in graduate school. That education primarily began with Darwin and then moved forward. But the more I learn, the more interesting history becomes. And that includes the history of evolutionary thinking. Darwin may have made evolutionary theory a household concept, but he certainly wasn’t the first or only person thinking about this idea. This month’s book guide gives you a tour of evolutionary thinking, beginning with a deep history of the idea of species change, biographies of three major players — Larmarck, Wallace and, of course, Darwin — followed by two additional books that explore radical shifts in evolutionary thinking related to taxonomy and major branches of life. Happy reading! By John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin | Published 2022 (Prometheus Books) | Read my full review This book proves that fresh takes on old things can still make it to publication. On The Origin of Evolution, like many books on evolutionary theory, does tell the story of how Darwin developed his theory (in brevity) but it’s situated in the context of deep global history. The take in this book is that the idea of evolution — that species change — was not first proposed in the 1800s, but actually dates back hundreds of years in countries outside of Europe. This book sets the stage for the later big players in Europe and provides a broad picture of how the theory of evolution as we know it today came to be.