Enchanted by Daphne is legendary ecologist Peter Grant鈥檚 personal account of his remarkable life and career. In this revelatory book, Grant takes readers from his childhood in World War II鈥揺ra Britain to his ongoing research today in the Gal谩pagos archipelago, vividly describing what it’s like to do fieldwork in one of the most magnificent yet inhospitable places on Earth. This is also the story of two brilliant and courageous biologists raising a family together while balancing the demands of professional lives that would take them to the far corners of the globe.
In 1973, Grant and his wife, Rosemary, embarked on a journey that would fundamentally change how we think about evolution. Over the next four decades, they visited the Gal谩pagos every year to observe Darwin鈥檚 famous finches on the remote, uninhabited island of Daphne Major. Documenting how eighteen species have diversified from a single ancestral species, they demonstrated that we could actually see and measure evolution in a natural setting. Grant recounts the blind alleys and breathtaking triumphs of this historic research as he and Rosemary followed in Darwin鈥檚 footsteps鈥攁nd ushered in a new era in ecology.
A wonderfully absorbing portrait of a life in science, Enchanted by Daphne is an unforgettable chronicle of the travels and discoveries of one of the world鈥檚 most influential naturalists.
Awards and Recognition
- A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year
Peter R. Grant is the Class of 1877 Professor of Zoology Emeritus at Princeton University. His books include Ecology and Evolution of Darwin鈥檚 Finches and (with B. Rosemary Grant) 40 Years of Evolution: Darwin鈥檚 Finches on Daphne Major Island (both Princeton).
"In more than 40 years of painstaking measurements, the Grants mapped how serendipitous changes in weather and habitat changed the lives and beaks of finches. Peter Grant is similarly attuned to the role of happenstance in his own life."鈥擡mily Bobrow, Wall Street Journal
"An exhilarating and warm personal memoir that will be of interest to a broad audience."鈥擳homas B. Smith, The Quarterly Review of Biology
"[Leaves] the impression that the Grants are interesting, unassuming people you'd like to meet."鈥擬. Gochfeld, Choice
鈥淐aptivating, informative, and utterly exhilarating: a memorable memoir by Charles Darwin鈥檚 successor. If anyone ever needed evidence for the value of long-term field studies, this is it. I couldn鈥檛 stop reading.鈥濃�擳im Birkhead, author of Birds and Us: A 12,000-Year History from Cave Art to Conservation
鈥�Enchanted by Daphne is an engaging and lively read that nicely combines recollections of Peter Grant鈥檚 remarkable scientific and personal journey. In particular, I would highly recommend this book to undergraduate or graduate students just embarking on their scientific careers because it shows that taking a straight and preplanned path is far from necessary for success in science, and that following your interests and curiosity leads to a very interesting, joyful, and fulfilling life.鈥濃�擟atherine Peichel, University of Bern
鈥淎 brilliant account of Peter and Rosemary Grant鈥檚 groundbreaking research on Darwin鈥檚 finches. Enchanted by Daphne takes us from remote natural reserves to the cultural capitals of the world, painting an intimate portrait of the couple鈥檚 day-to-day work and family life and recounting stimulating encounters with leading scientists. You will be enchanted by this richly nuanced and well-written book.鈥濃�擴li Reyer, University of Zurich
