...the idea of mutation has meant different things over time,
changing greatly how Darwin perceived it to how it is used in
the context of the genome. It is the evolution of the concept of
mutation that drives Elof Axel Carlsons new book...Beginning
with Darwin and pre-Mendelian ideas of what mutation was,
continuing through to the ideas of mutagenesis,...and mutation
in relation to evolution, Carlson admirably straddles the very
fine line between losing the reader in overly detailed
explanations or by being so vague as to say nothing at all. The
book is a quick read. It doesnt seek so much to re-educate
readers on what mutation is, as it does construct a timeline of
how scientists have perceived it through the past couple of
centuries....Carlsons book presents a history of the concept of
mutation, but also a history of how science itself has changed
because of that words evolution....In seeking to lend a sense of
history to a word that is used often in todays science, Carlson
succeeds. Genome Web Daily News