John Murray VII tells the fascinating story of how his ancestor, John Murray III, was offered the manuscript of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. Drawing upon original letters, photographs, family stories and the help of a set of live pigeons, he gives a unique insight in to the early history of this epoch-making book, telling how early readers advised John Murray against publishing it and revealing the small but crucial revisions that Darwin made to subsequent editions of the book. The tracks on this album were produced by The Open University in collaboration with the British Council. They form part of Darwin Now, a global initiative celebrating the life and work of Charles Darwin and the impact his ideas about evolution continue to have on today’s world. © British Council 2009.