Chambers, Robert

[person]

(July 10, 1802 - March 17, 1871) Scottish author, journal editor, and publisher who was highly influential in mid-19th century scientific circles. His most famous book is Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, published anonymously in 1844, in which he argues for transmutation, an evolutionary view of life similar to that proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, an unpopular view with both the scientific community and society in general. Charles Darwin credited Chambers with preparing people to accept the theory of evolution by natural selection.