Download or read book Incest and Influence written by Adam Kuper and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-10-30 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like many gentlemen of his time, Darwin married his first cousin. In fact, marriages between close relatives were commonplace in 19th-century England, and Kuper argues that they played a crucial role in the rise of the bourgeoisie. This study brings out the connection between private lives, public fortunes, and the history of imperial Britain.