Book contents
- Understanding Charles Darwin
- Series page
- Understanding Charles Darwin
- Copyright page
- Reviews
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: The Legends of Charles Darwin
- 1 The Evolutionary Darwins, 1794–1835
- 2 The Truth About Atolls
- 3 London Calling, 1836–1842
- 4 Darwin–Wallaceism
- 5 “[T]his view of life, with its several powers”
- 6 Saint Charles’s Place
- 7 The Struggle Is Real
- Concluding Remarks
- Summary of Common Misunderstandings
- References
- Figure Credits
- Index
4 - Darwin–Wallaceism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 August 2023
- Understanding Charles Darwin
- Series page
- Understanding Charles Darwin
- Copyright page
- Reviews
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: The Legends of Charles Darwin
- 1 The Evolutionary Darwins, 1794–1835
- 2 The Truth About Atolls
- 3 London Calling, 1836–1842
- 4 Darwin–Wallaceism
- 5 “[T]his view of life, with its several powers”
- 6 Saint Charles’s Place
- 7 The Struggle Is Real
- Concluding Remarks
- Summary of Common Misunderstandings
- References
- Figure Credits
- Index
Summary
Meeting the “White Raja of Sarawak” in Singapore in 1853 had been a stroke of luck. Honestly, it could have been a major turning point in what had been an unlucky career so far for 30-year-old collector Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) (Figure 4.1). But the steep, rocky, sweaty climb up Borneo’s Mt. Serembu (also known as Bung Moan or Bukit Peninjau) in the last week of December 1855 wasn’t exactly what Wallace expected. His eyeglasses fogged in the humidity. Bamboo taller than buildings crowded the narrow path. Near the top, the rainforest finally parted. But it revealed neither a temple nor some sort of massive colonial complex with all the trappings of empire worthy of a “raja.” Instead, there leaned a modest, very un-colonial-ruler-like white cabin. When he saw it, Wallace literally called it “rude.”
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- Understanding Charles Darwin , pp. 67 - 96Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023