"Not since Darwin has an author so lifted the science of ecology with insight and delightful imagery" - Richard Dawkins In this book a master scientist tells the great story of how life on earth evolved. E.O. Wilson eloquently describes how the species of the world became diverse, and why the threat to this diversity today is beyond the scope of anything we have known before. In an extensive new foreword for this edition, Professor Wilson addresses the explosion of the field of conservation biology and takes a clear-eyed look at the work still to be done.
The Diversity of Life (Penguin Press Science)
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"Not since Darwin has an author so lifted the science of ecology with insight and delightful imagery" - Richard Dawkins"
About the Author
Edward O. Wilson is the Pellegrino University Research Professor and Honorary Curator in Entomology at Harvard University. He is the author of SOCIOBIOLOGY, the two Pulitzer Prize-winning works ON HUMAN NATURE and THE ANTS, and the bestselling CONSILIENCE.
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
By Sally-Anne
Format:Paperback
If you watch nature programmes, Edward O Wilson is one of those intrepid biologists you see fairly frequently, looking serious and concerned, dressed for the jungle and being interviewed about deforestation, biodiversity, ecology and so on. He's one of my favourite "talking heads", along with the likes of David Attenborough. This is the first time I've read one of his books and I found it fascinating. His writing style is not as easy and fluent as some other writers I could mention. The best plain English writer in this general area (well, close enough: evolutionary biology, which is just as potentially technical and complicated) is Richard Dawkins, in my opinion. But Mr Wilson's style gets easier after a couple of chapters as you settle into his flow.
There's a comprehensive Foreword and, at the end there are Notes, a Glossary and an Index. the body of the book is divided into 3 sections:
1) "Violent Nature, Resilient Life" covers the destructive forces of nature such as those that have wiped out vast numbers of species in the past and describes how life clings on and returns to repopulate zones of devastation.
2) "Biodiversity Rising" covers the generation of biodiversity: how and why new species evolve; the time this takes; potential extent of the diversity in various types of habitat.
3) "The Human Impact" covers the ways humans have driven and are driving species to extinction, the speed of destruction, the time it would take to re-establish a high level of biodiversity, the possible consequences of severe reduction in biodiversity for life on earth and humanity in particular, and what can be done to slow down and reverse the impoverishment trend.
The author presents his facts and lays out the case for conservation in a very cool and logical way. He doesn't give the impression of emotional over-reaction that some people in government and industry (those with a strong economic interest) accuse environmentalists of showing. The case set out in this book is chillingly clear and convincing. It's a subject that should concern everyone on the planet so I recommend this book to all of them.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Wilson writes a great overview of biodiversity--how it is created, why it is crucial to human survival, and what we must do to preserve it. Enjoy accessible and well-documented writing that takes you from California to Madagascar, from the present to the beginnings of life as known from the fossil record. Along the way you'll learn many of the crucial ecological and evolutionary concepts (such as natural selection, community ecology, biogeography, and more) necessary for understanding what biodiversity is and how it is maintained. And finally, in the last part of the book, learn about philosophies and practices that will enable each of us to preserve the amazing diversity of life that surrounds us. You'll want to be a biologist by the time you finish the book!
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If there's one book that changed my life this is it. The book starts with an almost poetic style. From page one, the author's incredible description of a moonless night in the Amazon jungle transports you there. You are reminded that whilst humans sleep at night, most animals have just begun their activities. Everything we always took for granted is looked at from several different angles throughout the book. Simple facts become beautifully interwound in the web of life. More importantly however, are the simple alternatives and solutions the author presents to our way of life which is rapidly eroding the natural habitat that we depend on for our survival. Books like these should be made compulsory at shcool. Oh, couldn't we substitute those bibles in hotel drawers with this book?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Diverse.
This book is great for students in university, I found this book interesting and useful as it aided my modules.
Published 1 month ago by iammeg
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very well written treatise on us human beings and evolution
I really like this book. The author comes across as an original thinker. His writing is clear and logical and he presents interesting and compelling arguments. Highly recommended.
Published 2 months ago by Jon Boy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good read
Important book, up to date edition. Promptly delivered in good cognition. A great book, easy to read, good case studies, super addition to anyone's book shelves
Published 4 months ago by Ms Sue Townsend
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic book
A keynote book - from one of the great acadmic biologists of our time. 20 years old now but still fresh and relevant
Published 12 months ago by Mr. G. White
5.0 out of 5 stars
Purchase recommendation
I was unvited by amazon.co.uk to write a review of my purchase of E.O. Wilson's "The Diversity of Life". I would like to limit it to the following comment. Read more
Published 13 months ago by ChrisBauer
5.0 out of 5 stars
got me interested in biology
This is a fascinating book. It needs some concentration, but it is very informative. It has made me love biology. Great stuff.
Published 18 months ago by fergus
5.0 out of 5 stars
The loss of life's diversity endangers not just the body but the...
This is from Chapter 4 of Edward Wilson's book:
"The most wonderful mystery of life may well be the means by which it created so much diversity from so little physical... Read more
"The most wonderful mystery of life may well be the means by which it created so much diversity from so little physical... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Eileen Shaw
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly informative and very enjoyable
As a zoology degree student this has been extremely helpful in helping me gain further insight into ecology and the amazing diversity in the animal and plant kingdom. Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2011 by Jade
5.0 out of 5 stars
A warning, and a celebration of all things living
Edward Wilson, if you haven't come across him yet, is one of the world's foremost biologists, but he writes with an elegance and fluency that belies his scientific background. Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2010 by Jeremy Williams
4.0 out of 5 stars
An important book
An important book for anyone who wants to know about the diversity of life, why it matters, the impact of human activity upon it and how we can protect it. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2007 by C. A. Gallagher
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