It was sobering to read Savage: The Life and Times of Jemmy Button by Nick Hazelwood, and not just because of the obvious tragedies of contact between European travellers and South American native peoples. As someone planning travels to the other side of the globe, I am reminded how relatively safe and risk free travel can be now, in comparison to the perilous, slow, and uncomfortable journeys of the mid-1800s. Then, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to consider death a distinct possibility in the course of inter-continental travel. It is quite a different psychological situation to be leaving on a "jaunt" to another continent, fully expecting to return safe and sound on the appointed day, likely within a few minutes of the expected time.
Reading the excerpts from Charles Darwin's diaries and letters was also a great reminder about how observation, and then reflecting on the things experienced, is the key to good science, philosophy, and historical writing. In a world of technology, statistical testing, and reasonably established experimental methods, it's easy to forget that all of this is only an aid to observation & thought, not a replacement.
