18/6/2014 H.G.

Bronn, Ernst Haeckel, and the Origins of German Darwinism | The MIT Press
http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/hg-bronn-ernst-haeckel-and-origins-german-darwinism 1/2
Hardcover | $35.00
Text | 24.95 | ISBN:
97 8026207 2939 | 27 2
pp. | 6 x 9 in | August
2008

From Transformations: Studies in the History of Science and Technology
H.G. Bronn, Ernst Haeckel, and the Origins of
German Darwinism
A Study in Translation and Transformation
By Sander Gliboff
Overview
The German translation of Darwin's The Origin of Species appeared in 1 860,
just months after the original, thanks to Heinrich Georg Bronn, a
distinguished German paleontologist whose work in some way s paralleled
Darwin's. Bronn's v ersion of the book (with his own notes and commentary
appended) did much to determine how Darwin's theory was understood and
applied by German biologists, for the translation process inv olv ed more
than the mere substitution of German words for English. In this book,
Sander Gliboff tells the story of how The Origin of Species came to be
translated into German, how it serv ed Bronn's purposes as well as Darwin's,
and how it challenged German scholars to think in new way s about
morphology , sy stematics, paleontology , and other biological disciplines.
Gliboff traces Bronn's influence on German Darwinism through the early
career of Ernst Haeckel, Darwin's most famous nineteenth-century
proponent and popularizer in Germany , who learned his Darwinism from
the Bronn translation.
Gliboff argues, contrary to most interpretations, that the German authors
were not attempting to "tame" Darwin or assimilate him to outmoded
sy stems of romantic Naturphilosophie. Rather, Bronn and Haeckel were
participants in Darwin's project of rev olutionizing biology . We should not,
Gliboff cautions, read pre-Darwinian meanings into Bronn's and Haeckel's
Darwinian words.
Gliboff describes interpretiv e problems faced by Bronn and Haeckel that
range from the v erbal (how to express Darwin's ideas in the existing
German technical v ocabulary ) to the conceptual. One of these conceptual
problems, the origins of nov el v ariation and the proper balance between
creativ ity and constraint in ev olution, emerges as crucial. Specialists in
ev olutionary biology today , Gliboff points out, continue to grapple with
comparable questionscontinuing a larger process of translation and
interpretation of Darwin's work.
About the Author
Sander Gliboff is Associate Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at
Indiana Univ ersity .
Reviews
"In the course of this short book, Gliboff presents a fascinating account of
German natural history prior to Darwin as well as a detailed analy sis of
Bronn's job as translator. This book will interest biologists, historians of
18/6/2014 H.G. Bronn, Ernst Haeckel, and the Origins of German Darwinism | The MIT Press
http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/hg-bronn-ernst-haeckel-and-origins-german-darwinism 2/2
science, and translators in any field.", R. Gilmour, Ithaca College, CHOICE
"Gliboff's superb and v ery accessible study is highly recommended for
ev ery one with a serious interest in the history of ev olution.", Paul Fay ter,
Perspectiv es on Science and Christian Faith
Endorsements
"This book is a nov el and v aluable interpretation of the early history of
Darwin's ideas in Germany , as well as an important rethinking of what the
modern sy nthesis sy nthesized. By a careful reading of the original texts and
a sensitiv ity to the German language, Gliboff has shown that many of the
standard stories about Bronn, Darwin's German translator, are seriously in
error. In a similar way , he has reinterpreted the standard treatment of
Haeckel, Darwin's chief popularizer in Germany , and in so doing, he has
demonstrated how our picture of the dev elopment of the theory of ev olution
needs to be reexamined. Gliboff's book has the potential to alter the way we
tell the wider story of the dev elopment of the theory of ev olution."
Paul Farber, OSU Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of
History , Oregon State Univ ersity , and Editor, Journal of the History of
Biology
"Ernst Haeckel is often portray ed as hav ing perv erted Darwinian theory
and beguiled sev eral generations with his polemical efforts at popularizing
the Englishman's ideas. Sander Gliboff aggressiv ely corrects this distorted
image of Haeckel's accomplishments and resets them within a biology that
shed its fustian transcendentalism for more sty lish modern dress. He
thereby dexterously measures Haeckel up to Darwin's own standards,
despite the assumptions of miscreant historians to the contrary . In his
renov ativ e account of H. G. Bronn, Darwin's translator, and his v igorous
defense of Haeckel, Gliboff flashes his v orpal blade at scholars of stature and
of craft, charging his book with the excitement of competitiv e history ."
Robert J. Richards, Morris Fishbein Professor of the History of
Science,Univ ersity of Chicago
"Gliboff resurrects Bronn's and Haeckel's importance in the process
oftranslating and transforming Darwin's theory for a German audience,
andemphasizes the manifold way s their work helped to shape late
nineteenth-century biology . This beautifully written and well argued work
makes asignificant contribution to both Darwin scholarship and to the
history ofmodern biology ."
Marsha Richmond, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Way ne
StateUniv ersity