Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness

by Ian Tattersall

Book Overview

In Becoming Human, noted anthropologist and renaissance man Ian Tattersall explores what makes us uniquely human, the qualities that set us apart from our ancestors, and the significance of our... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0151003408
• ISBN13: 9780151003402
• Release Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Sweeping and coherent account of human development

I enjoyed this book very much, not being a professional anthropologist. I understand the criticism that it may be elementary it its approach; however, there is an audience of intelligent people who need to be introduced to the subject in this way. I have been seeking such a work on human origins for several years. Many of them start well but soon soar into the stratosphere of technical overkill and lose me. For those who have a professional's understanding of the field, I am sure you can locate more in depth resources. For the rest of us, I highly reccomend this book. It is an up to date summary and a pretty good yarn as well.

A very fine and detailed narrative of human evolution

How long have we waited for such a comprehensive and detailed account of our evolutionary history, at last given by one of the world's leading authorities in the field of paleoanthropology. Ian Tattersall has dared to render a fascinating narrative, abandoning hundreds of tedious scientific references in favor of a fluent, yet personal account of how our "Becoming Human" may have progressed throughout history. The author leads the reader through a wealth of information available from fossil records. Starting with 20th century scientists, like Tattersall himself, who study and admire, yet puzzle over paleolithic cave art, Tattersall then trails backwards to our very earliest human ancestors to develope a cohesive explanation of how evolving hominids with their increasing brain capacities have finally, albeit almost certainly accidentally, given rise to who we are today. A fine work indeed, and a must-read for all those curious enough to seek answers as to the origins and evolutionary processes that lead to "our old familiar - and potentially dangerous - selves."

An excellent account of human evolution

"Becoming Human" is an engrossing consistent account of human biological history, that you read as it were a novel. You are left with no unanswered questions. This book is a must-read for everybody who wants to learn the basics on human evolution. For those interested also in the pre-human stages of evolutionary history, I would recommend Robert Jastrow's "Red Giants and White Dwarfs" and "Until The Sun Dies", which end where "becoming Human" begins.

A lively and personal view of human evolution

Many books on human evolution cite authority after authority and end up confusing the reader without developing a consistent point of view. Not this one. The author has clear and consistent view of the human past -- and future -- and articulates it in lively language. From his considerations of the differences that separate Homo sapiens from their nearest living relatives, the apes, to his account of how those differences were acquired, this is the most thoughtful treatment of the subject yet available. This book is for everyone who takes an interest in how humans got to be the way they are.

Wonderfully written, informative look at Homo sapiens.

This is a wonderfully written book that contains an extraordinary amount of material fascinatingly and painlessly presented. Its worth owning just for the information it contains about Homo sapiens and its ancestors, but its value is vastly increased by the scientific investigations and personal insights offered by the author.