" An important book of science that nonetheless is not as bold as I expected it to be. Certainly, Darwin himself is bold in his ideas, and he several times scoffs at those can't see the wisdom of his thoughts. But his studies, as he freely admits, are incomplete, and he hedges on some key points (some of which were cleared up by later science). Most surprising are his suggestions (1) that natural selection is the key, but not the only, method of species development; (2) that natural selection does not close the door on abiogenesis (life from non-life) by a creator; and (3) that his entire theory could fail if such-and-such an experiment is found to be false. Writing in the pre-DNA days, it's no surprise that there are (by our modern standards) scientific issues with the text. But surprising what he came up with with just a microscope and a whole lot of time to think while watching birds on the Galapagos Islands. The book lacks sufficient detail to be a rigorous peer-reviewed text, but sometimes drones on and one about experiments that, through exciting for a geologist or biologist, do nothing to bring the general reader along. But despite its deficiencies, it was certainly a book for the ages. "
— Tim, 2/11/2014