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Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction 1st Edition

by Bernard Wood (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 76 ratings
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Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
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The recent discovery of the diminutive Homo floresiensis (nicknamed "the Hobbit") in Indonesia has sparked new interest in the study of human evolution. In this Very Short Introduction, renowned evolutionary scholar Bernard Wood traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to today's latest fossil finds. Along the way we are introduced to the lively cast of characters, past and present, involved in evolutionary research. Although concentrating on the fossil evidence for human evolution, the book also covers the latest genetic evidence about regional variations in the modern human genome that relate to our evolutionary history. Wood draws on over thirty years of experience to provide an insiders view of the field, and demonstrates that our understanding of human evolution is critically dependent on advances in related sciences such as paleoclimatology, geochronology, systematics, genetics, and developmental biology. This is an ideal introduction for anyone interested in the origins and development of humankind.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0192803603
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0192803603
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    January 12, 2006
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.7 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches
  8. Print length
    144 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Book Description

A concise and readable introduction to Human Evolution

About the Author

Bernard Wood is Henry R. Luce Professor of Human Origins at George Washington University and the Smithsonian Institution.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (January 12, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0192803603
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0192803603
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.7 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 76 ratings

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Bernard A. Wood

Bernard A. Wood

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
76 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael Valdivielso
5.0 out of 5 stars Short, detailed and small.
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2006
Verified Purchase
Human Evolution by Bernard Wood is just the facts and only the facts. At 131 pages this is all the updated information about human related fossils, up to the year 2005, and the debates about what they mean.

The book starts out explaining about the Tree Of Life, what fossils are, how they are found and how they are used as evidence. Everything is clear and crisp, Mr. Wood treats the reader to a lesson in paleoanthropology, without moving too swiftly but without talking down to the reader. Can be finished in a day or two, no problem.

Great for people new to the subject or as a small guide for those on the go.
36 people found this helpful
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BrianG
4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2016
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This is a good brief overview of what science has revealed about human evolution, albeit a little dated now in light of the recent rapid growth of genetic research in this area.
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Edward K.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book. Complemented really well the OLLI course
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2016
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Great book. Complemented really well the OLLI course, The Emergence of Man, taught by Prof. Geoffrey Thomas that
we took at FSU. An easy read and enjoyable.
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Libby R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Human Evolution A Very Short Review
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2010
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I ordered this book in the evening, and received it two days later. The book looked like it had never been used. I hope this seller continues to offer items to sell. Will look to buy from them again.
One person found this helpful
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amfmhk
3.0 out of 5 stars OK but some issues
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2014
Generally well written. The problems:

1. There are few illustrations compared to the proportion of the book the author devoted describing the species' morphology and the like in words. It is quite hard to picture a lot of things without some good illustrations (either photos or drawings) for a book of this sort.

2. The measurement units are a mess. Sometimes "cc" (an archaic alternative to "ml") is used and sometimes "cm^3" for volume, and "feet" and "inches" for length etc. At least the author should unify the units and use only one system throughout the book. Since this is a book on a scientific subject and sold to an international market, I strongly feel that the metric (SI) units should be used. The Imperial-unit equivalents can be put in parentheses following the metric units if so desired.
2 people found this helpful
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Pafoua
5.0 out of 5 stars ... don't believe in evolution but this book was an easy read with a good book layout
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2017
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I don't believe in evolution but this book was an easy read with a good book layout.
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Edward L. Crisp
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2014
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Excellent review of the essentials of Human Evolution and the current proper classification of the lineage leading to humans.
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javier
5.0 out of 5 stars Religion is wack
Reviewed in Mexico on September 16, 2017
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Excelent for anyone who is dumb enough to believe the superstitious explanations that religions give. Educate yourselves. Religion is wack.
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Vijay Tulshibagwale
1.0 out of 5 stars The book is printed in too small font which even ...
Reviewed in India on August 9, 2015
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The book is printed in too small font which even a person with normal eye sight cannot read it.
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Gerund
5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Short Introduction to Human Evolution
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2010
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These Short Introductions are a bit of a mixed bag. This one is absolutely excellent. It's well laid out with very clear chapters entitled:

Introduction
Finding our place
Fossil hominins: their discovery and context
Fossil hominins: analysis and interpretation
Early hominins: possible and probable
Archaic and transitional hominins
Pre-modern Homo
Modern Homo

Strangely, it has the same diagram of different hominins repeated three times in the book, each with with different titles. It seems to be a copy-editing error but is actually rather useful!

The writing is clear and lucid and a joy to read. It's always a great reading pleasure when you come across a factual author who can actually 'write'.

The author, Bernard Wood, has impeccable qualifications:
he is Professor of Human Origins at George Washington University and a Senior Scientist in the Human Origins Programme of the Smithsonian Institute. He is a medically qualified palaeoanthropologist and was on Richard Leakey's first expedition to Lake Rudolph in 1968 and has pursued research in the field ever since.

The book was published in 2005, so will need an update soon but, meanwhile, I highly recommend it as an introduction to a fascinating subject about which we know so little.
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D. Crouch
5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to human evolution
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2014
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The fact that the author had to produce a relatively short book has probably been advantageous in this case. Research into human evolution is very complex and a constant stream of new evidence, plus differences of opinion amongst scientists produce an ever changing picture. But this book effectively offers a basic introduction to the first time reader on the subject, whilst recognising some areas where evidence is lacking or there are differing opinions amongst researchers. It is very easy to read and sticks to the most important information without wasting words. Recommended.
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Dr. H. A. Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars The biology of human evolution
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2009
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Human Evolution: A very short introduction, by Bernard Wood, Oxford, 2005, 144 ff.

The biology of human evolution
By Howard A. Jones

Though this is another admirable publication in Oxford's Very Short Introduction series, generally intended for readership by non-specialists, the degree of biological detail here make this more suitable for undergraduate biologists with an interest in paleoanthropology. The author is himself a medically qualified paleoanthropologist, a Professor of Human Origins at the George Washington University in America, so there is much, perhaps necessarily, anatomical detail about the fossil human remains that have been unearthed.

After an introduction that takes us from biblical accounts of our origins, through the work of Vesalius, Lamarck, Darwin, Huxley, Lyell and Mendel, right up to Watson and Crick and the human genome project, we are treated to a discussion of the biological differentiation of humans (hominins) and panins, gorillas and orang-utans - our genetic similarities and anatomical differences.

There are details of oxygen isotope measurement as a guide to past climates; methods of dating fossils and the sediments or rocks in which they are found; and how the age and sex of hominins is determined from the skeletal fragments that anthropologists usually have to be content with. The author points out that while `modern humans have a substantial fossil record . . . the fossil record for chimpanzees [our genetically nearest animal relatives] is virtually non-existent.' So the story is largely one of intelligent piecing together of our ancestry from what remains there are.

It was Darwin who first suggested that, as we are probably related to the apes and they exist largely in Africa, this would be a good place to start looking for human remains. Modern biologists tell us that indeed we did, in the beginning, `come out of Africa'.

This is a well-written book full of fascinating, if at times a little overwhelming, detail. The book about Evolution in general by the Charlesworths in the same series is more accessible to the non-specialist.

Dr Howard A. Jones is the author of The Thoughtful Guide to God (2006) and The Tao of Holism (2008), both published by O Books of Winchester, UK.

 Evolution: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
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