The Origin of Our Species
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To follow the dramatic announcements that will be appearing in the media pretty regularly from now on concerning new fossil finds and detailed genetic knowledge on the mutations that distinguish us from Neanderthals, other hominins, and apes, you will need a primer to make sense of the story so far. Here is that book. (Peter Forbes The Guardian )
The Origin of Our Species combines anecdote and speculation with crisp explanation of the latest science in the study of the first humans. (John Hawks New Scientist )
When it comes to human evolution [Chris Stringer] is as close to the horse's mouth as it gets...The Origin of Our Species should be the one-stop source on the subject. Read it now (Henry Gee BBC Focus )
Combining the thrill of a novel with a remarkable depth of perspective, the book offers a panorama of recent developments...Stringer's original ideas will open up avenues for those who deal with genes, fossils or artefacts. (Jean-Jacques Hublin Nature )
The Origin of Our Species [is] the right book by the right author at the right time. It highlights just how many tantalising discoveries and analytical advances have enriched the field in recent years, and folds them into an appropriately comprehensive, generous and nuanced reflection. (Marek Kohn Literary Review )
The Origin of Our Species starts as a clear, perceptive survey. It ends by introducing a new way of defining us and our place in history (Mike Pitts Sunday Times )
Sets out to tackle the big questions about human origins...written in a personal, unpretentious style...a laudable summary of a vital subject (Matt Grove British Archaeology )
The most up to date synthesis available (Steven Mithen London Review of Books )
Stringer's writing style is lucid and all-embracing, pulling information and ideas together from all conceivable sources to support his central narrative ... stimulating, informative and entertaining. It deserves to be widely read (Stephen K. Donovan Geological Journal )
The Origin of Our Species combines anecdote and speculation with crisp explanation of the latest science in the study of the first humans. (John Hawks New Scientist )
When it comes to human evolution [Chris Stringer] is as close to the horse's mouth as it gets...The Origin of Our Species should be the one-stop source on the subject. Read it now (Henry Gee BBC Focus )
Combining the thrill of a novel with a remarkable depth of perspective, the book offers a panorama of recent developments...Stringer's original ideas will open up avenues for those who deal with genes, fossils or artefacts. (Jean-Jacques Hublin Nature )
The Origin of Our Species [is] the right book by the right author at the right time. It highlights just how many tantalising discoveries and analytical advances have enriched the field in recent years, and folds them into an appropriately comprehensive, generous and nuanced reflection. (Marek Kohn Literary Review )
The Origin of Our Species starts as a clear, perceptive survey. It ends by introducing a new way of defining us and our place in history (Mike Pitts Sunday Times )
Sets out to tackle the big questions about human origins...written in a personal, unpretentious style...a laudable summary of a vital subject (Matt Grove British Archaeology )
The most up to date synthesis available (Steven Mithen London Review of Books )
Stringer's writing style is lucid and all-embracing, pulling information and ideas together from all conceivable sources to support his central narrative ... stimulating, informative and entertaining. It deserves to be widely read (Stephen K. Donovan Geological Journal )
Review
To follow the dramatic announcements that will be appearing in the media pretty regularly from now on concerning new fossil finds and detailed genetic knowledge on the mutations that distinguish us from Neanderthals, other hominins, and apes, you will need a primer to make sense of the story so far. Here is that book. -- Peter Forbes The Guardian The Origin of Our Species combines anecdote and speculation with crisp explanation of the latest science in the study of the first humans. -- John Hawks New Scientist When it comes to human evolution [Chris Stringer] is as close to the horse's mouth as it gets...The Origin of Our Species should be the one-stop source on the subject. Read it now -- Henry Gee BBC Focus Combining the thrill of a novel with a remarkable depth of perspective, the book offers a panorama of recent developments...Stringer's original ideas will open up avenues for those who deal with genes, fossils or artefacts. -- Jean-Jacques Hublin Nature The Origin of Our Species [is] the right book by the right author at the right time. It highlights just how many tantalising discoveries and analytical advances have enriched the field in recent years, and folds them into an appropriately comprehensive, generous and nuanced reflection. -- Marek Kohn Literary Review The Origin of Our Species starts as a clear, perceptive survey. It ends by introducing a new way of defining us and our place in history -- Mike Pitts Sunday Times Sets out to tackle the big questions about human origins...written in a personal, unpretentious style...a laudable summary of a vital subject -- Matt Grove British Archaeology The most up to date synthesis available -- Steven Mithen London Review of Books Stringer's writing style is lucid and all-embracing, pulling information and ideas together from all conceivable sources to support his central narrative ... stimulating, informative and entertaining. It deserves to be widely read -- Stephen K. Donovan Geological Journal
--This text refers to the
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
63 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Just two chapters into this book I have to pause and tell other Amazon users that this is definitely a 5-star book, for two reasons. First, Dr. Stringer was actually a party to much of the research on early humans conducted since the 1970s, so his first-hand survey is as authoritative as any could possibly be. Second, this lucid work on a complex subject is completely accessible to the general reader. What a pleasure it is not to have to run to the dictionary or the rest of my bookshelf, or to dubious Wikipedia entries, when encountering the jargon of this field. It's explained right there in the text, including the etymology (e.g. "These iconic artefacts characterize the Aterian industry, first recognized at the Algerian site of Bir el-Ater..."). And the train of thought in his explanations reflects the skill of someone who has discussed these topics time and time again. What this book lacks in pretty color photos is more than compensated for in the information conveyed.
Edit: Having finished the book, I want to comment that it provides the most comprehensive information I have seen on the following topics:
Neanderthals
Where in the world humans originated
Did Neanderthals interbreed with modern humans?
Early humans in Africa
The mind of early humans, origin of culture, art, spirituality (not actually something I've read much about before)
Edit: Having finished the book, I want to comment that it provides the most comprehensive information I have seen on the following topics:
Neanderthals
Where in the world humans originated
Did Neanderthals interbreed with modern humans?
Early humans in Africa
The mind of early humans, origin of culture, art, spirituality (not actually something I've read much about before)
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I came to this book looking for a definitive account of human evolution, I didn't quite get what I was looking for, but I'm more than satisfied.
I've been looking for a book such as this because I've found that, at times, the usage of names differs so much author to author (Erectus, Ergaster, etc.) that it can get very confusing. This book seemed just the ticket as the author is the leading expert on human origins at the Natural History Museum in London and it shows: he has a dizzying command of his subject area.
The blurb on the inside cover says that he will answer all of the big questions in the debate on our origins. So, does he? As you might expect the answer is yes and no.
Yes, because many, or most, of the issues that you would want a book like this to deal with are discussed in detail: what kind of relationship existed between modern humans and the Neanderthals, where & when the first modern humans appeared, what the genetic evidence says about us, whether the Neanderthals and other hominins are actually cousins or ancestors of ours, and so on.
No, because some issues are not dealt with: the book does not really discuss species previous to Homo Erectus, so there's little or nothing about our common ancestor with chimpanzees, or the australopithecines, Homo habilis, etc. Instead, the focus is on the later hominins: Erectus, Heidelbergensis, the Neanderthals and us, especially the last two. So, roughly, the book covers the last two million years, but most especially the last few hundred thousand. This is fair enough - there are no superfluous sections in this book, and so discussing these species would have meant a lot more pages and taken the author away from his goal of identifying and describing the origin of our species specifically, rather than the whole Homo genus. But I didn't know this before I bought the book. Also no, because one question, which seems to me to be a central one, was dealt with only briefly over the course of four or five pages: the evolution of language. You might think this is because there's not much to be said - there aren't any fossils of words - but this is a whole area of study, so this was a slight disappointment.
Whether you like this book or not will also depend on what kind of book you usually read. If you have only a passing interest in evolution and science in general, but you find this issue appealing, I think you may find chapters 2 and 3 of this book hard going. These sections mainly focus on how experts in the field can date and extract information from the fossils they find; so, while these issues are relevant to the matter in hand, they concern the scientific method rather than the history and evolution of mankind. It's not overly technical, but there is a lot of information, mixed in with a little of bit of the author's own biography. I found it very interesting, but I did think that the author was brave to place so much of this material so early in the book.
On the other hand, if you're a scientist or you regularly read books on scientific subjects, I confidently predict you will lap this up. It covers a lot of ground authoritatively and, if you're the kind of person who, like me, reads books on issues which human evolution has some bearing on, I think you will often come back to this book for reference. It's well written, there's a bit of humour in there occasionally, and while the author is keen to put across his point of view - that we have a recent African origin - I think he deals with other opinions very fairly.
Highly recommended. If you like that kind of thing.
I've been looking for a book such as this because I've found that, at times, the usage of names differs so much author to author (Erectus, Ergaster, etc.) that it can get very confusing. This book seemed just the ticket as the author is the leading expert on human origins at the Natural History Museum in London and it shows: he has a dizzying command of his subject area.
The blurb on the inside cover says that he will answer all of the big questions in the debate on our origins. So, does he? As you might expect the answer is yes and no.
Yes, because many, or most, of the issues that you would want a book like this to deal with are discussed in detail: what kind of relationship existed between modern humans and the Neanderthals, where & when the first modern humans appeared, what the genetic evidence says about us, whether the Neanderthals and other hominins are actually cousins or ancestors of ours, and so on.
No, because some issues are not dealt with: the book does not really discuss species previous to Homo Erectus, so there's little or nothing about our common ancestor with chimpanzees, or the australopithecines, Homo habilis, etc. Instead, the focus is on the later hominins: Erectus, Heidelbergensis, the Neanderthals and us, especially the last two. So, roughly, the book covers the last two million years, but most especially the last few hundred thousand. This is fair enough - there are no superfluous sections in this book, and so discussing these species would have meant a lot more pages and taken the author away from his goal of identifying and describing the origin of our species specifically, rather than the whole Homo genus. But I didn't know this before I bought the book. Also no, because one question, which seems to me to be a central one, was dealt with only briefly over the course of four or five pages: the evolution of language. You might think this is because there's not much to be said - there aren't any fossils of words - but this is a whole area of study, so this was a slight disappointment.
Whether you like this book or not will also depend on what kind of book you usually read. If you have only a passing interest in evolution and science in general, but you find this issue appealing, I think you may find chapters 2 and 3 of this book hard going. These sections mainly focus on how experts in the field can date and extract information from the fossils they find; so, while these issues are relevant to the matter in hand, they concern the scientific method rather than the history and evolution of mankind. It's not overly technical, but there is a lot of information, mixed in with a little of bit of the author's own biography. I found it very interesting, but I did think that the author was brave to place so much of this material so early in the book.
On the other hand, if you're a scientist or you regularly read books on scientific subjects, I confidently predict you will lap this up. It covers a lot of ground authoritatively and, if you're the kind of person who, like me, reads books on issues which human evolution has some bearing on, I think you will often come back to this book for reference. It's well written, there's a bit of humour in there occasionally, and while the author is keen to put across his point of view - that we have a recent African origin - I think he deals with other opinions very fairly.
Highly recommended. If you like that kind of thing.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The simplicity of this book belies its in-depth analysis of man's origins. While medical terminology is used it is adequately explained, enabling the reader to follow the arguments easily. It does not try to identify all pre-homo sapiens species, contenting itself with just Homo erectus, heidelbergiensis, neanderthalensis and ourselves. Not being able to visualise the differences between these types of primates I found that a spreadsheet of their differences was useful.
Chris Stringer discusses how we have evolved and moved around the planet. He dismisses Stephen Oppenheimer's Out of Eden theories of a southern exit point with a nonchalent wave of the hand. This and other hints of academic bitchiness is quite amusing. The illustrations used are very poor; some being too small, others too dark to be of use to the reader. Coloured plates would have been most welcome. Having said all that I do recommend the book to those interested in our development and evolution as it follows its own narrow pre-arranged path and helps the reader to understand the changes and adaptations we have had to undergo. It explains much about ourselves that is remarkable and as it uses the latest discoveries would be of use to a newcomer to the subject
[Chris Stringer[ASIN:1846141400 The Origin of Our Species]]
Chris Stringer discusses how we have evolved and moved around the planet. He dismisses Stephen Oppenheimer's Out of Eden theories of a southern exit point with a nonchalent wave of the hand. This and other hints of academic bitchiness is quite amusing. The illustrations used are very poor; some being too small, others too dark to be of use to the reader. Coloured plates would have been most welcome. Having said all that I do recommend the book to those interested in our development and evolution as it follows its own narrow pre-arranged path and helps the reader to understand the changes and adaptations we have had to undergo. It explains much about ourselves that is remarkable and as it uses the latest discoveries would be of use to a newcomer to the subject
[Chris Stringer[ASIN:1846141400 The Origin of Our Species]]
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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If you are looking for a perfect gift for the man (or woman) who has everything - but the answer to the ultimate question : Where did we come from ? This is that book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by P. Wood
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There is probably no one better than Chris Stringer to write a book on our origins. His book is packed with information, scientific discoveries and theories attempting to take our... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hansen
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Written by one of the leading experts in the field of human evolution, this book is an attempt to provide a comprehensive and up to date account of the origin of our species. Read more
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Fantastic reading and learning for both experts and non (like myself). Full of incredibly interesting information on our ancestry and the Neandertals (I have a newly found... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Truth lover
He knows his stuff
Chris Stringer knows more about Homo sapiens than anybody - he has been active in this field since his PhD in 1970. Also, he can write. Read more
Published 6 months ago by John Z L
Highly Recommended to anyone one interested in how humans have...
Bought this book after a fascinating lecture by Chris Stringer at the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow. Read more
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Published 7 months ago by Frank
Prehistory brilliantly explored.
I have just finished reading every word, underlining key ideas on nearly every page and now setting out to write a synopsis for the students I teach. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Decuman
The origin of our species
This is the latest last word and even includes a ref to australopithicus 2009. Well written and easy to read it takes its place on my reference bookshelf.
Published 8 months ago by Janet King
ok, but a little to many pages for me
I am not a regular book reader, since I am bit dyslectic, and reading takes a lot of concentration and goes slowly. I got stuck half way, because there is a lot to read. Read more
Published 9 months ago by denbydale1
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