Charles Darwin: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works provides an important new compendium presenting a detailed chronology of all aspects Darwin's life. The extensive encyclopedia section includes many hundreds of entries of various kinds related to Darwin – people, places, institutions, concepts, and his publications. The bibliography provides a comprehensive listing of the vast majority of Darwin's works published during and after his lifetime. It also provides a more selective list of publications concerning his life and work.

Includes a nearly year by year chronology detailing Charles Darwin's life, family, and work.

The A to Z section includes many entries on concepts and people important in Charles Darwin's life and his work, emphasizing during his lifetime but extending somewhat backwards and forwards from there.

The bibliography includes all of Charles Darwin's articles and books published in his lifetime in English and other languages, as well as a selective list of works about him and his work.

The index thoroughly cross-references the chronological and encyclopedic entries.