On the Origin of Species... read by Richard Dawkins

For those of you in my Evolution class winding your way through Darwin's incredible tome (especially those of you struggling a bit with the prose), this might help: an audiobook version abridged and read wonderfully Richard Dawkins. Here's the review from Times Online:

[Dawkins] excised the out-of-date, disproved and irrelevant bits (while being amazed at ‘how much Darwin got right') to produce a lively version of the great work that gave us the term ‘evolution'. You have to concentrate pretty hard sometimes, but close attention reveals a dazzling talent for the observation and analysis that formed the theories. Darwin's marvellous descriptions cover the gamut of living species that, be they pigeons, spiders or flowers, are engaged in ‘the universal struggle for life'. ‘Natural selection is a power incessantly ready for action' in this continuing process. Dawkins reads engagingly, and the whole effect is like David Attenborough without the pictures.

[via On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, read by Richard Dawkins]

Just might make your own reading of the (unabridged) book more enjoyable. You can listen to a 5-min excerpt for free on the Times page, and download via iTunes for less than the price of a movie ticket! What a bargain. Of course, an unabridged audiobook version is also available - read by David Case, rather than Dawkins.

Enjoy!