Roger Lewin

The brief length and focused coverage of Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction have made this best-selling textbook the ideal complement to any biology or anthropology course in which human evolution is taught. The text places human evolution in the context of humans as animals, while also showing the physical context of human evolution, including climate change and the impact of extinctions. Chapter introductions, numerous drawings and photographs, and an essential glossary all add to the accessibility of this text.The fifth edition has been thoroughly updated to include coverage of the latest discoveries and perspectives, including: · New early hominid fossils from Africa and Georgia, and their implications · New archaeological evidence from Africa on the origin of modern humans · Updated coverage of prehistoric art, including new sites · New perspectives on molecular evidence and their implications for human population history. An Instructor manual CD-ROM for this title is available. Please contact our Higher Education team at [email protected] for more information.

This is the inside story of how one discovery - a human skull found on the island of Java - by two geologists shock the foundations of science. By uncovering new evidence they were able to date Java mans remains at 1.7 million years, which pushed back the time when humans migrated out of Africa.

This is a behind-the-scenes look at the search for human origins, analyzing how the biases and preconceptions of paleoanthropologists shape their work. The stories of the Taung Child and Neanderthal Man provide the background to the modern search for an exploration of how and where humans evolved. In this edition, the afterword looks at ways in which paleoanthropology, while becoming more scientific, in many ways remains contentious. It is Lewin's thesis that paleoanthropology is the most subjective of sciences because it engages the emotions of virtually everyone; and since the evidence is scanty, interpretation is all-important.

Richard Leakey questions the widely accepted idea of a 2 million-year-old ancestry of hunters and gatherers - the men hunting, the women raising children - that is the basis of modern man's nuclear family, and asks why the first signs of humanity occurred a mere 15,000 years ago in the cave paintings of Lascaux. What was going on in the minds of men before that first recorded expression of art and humanity occurred? Richard Leakey also wrote People of the Lake and The Making of Mankind . Roger Lewin is also the author of the prize-winning Bones of Contention.

Where did we come from? Where are we going?Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin continue the pioneering field work of Louis and Mary Leakey by fitting together the pieces of our past to discover new answers to these age-old questions. The authors explore our long-buried past--from the feral roots of humanity, through the eons of time, to society today, replete with its wonders and anomalies--searcing for valuable insights into the future of modern society.In this vast survey of human origins and evolution, Leakey and Lewin present intriguing scientific information in such a way that the general reader will be fascinated and drawn into the search."One of the most readable and informative boks of its kind." -- Ashley Montagu, Saturday Review"It is a pleasure to see in print an authentic representation of what are, with only minor exceptions, the views held by most of the professionals in the field. Graced with humor, intriguing ideas, and unfamiliar insights.' -- Carl Sagan, The New York Times Book Review