Charles Lyell

Charles Lyell, the leading geologist of his age, argued against the transmutation of species in his Principles of Geology for over thirty years, even though his ideas about slow change had shaped Darwin's thinking. His 1863 book on human antiquity disappointed Darwin with its caution. In the tenth edition of the Principles, published in 1866 to 1868, he finally endorsed evolution and rewrote chapters he had defended for decades.