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Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction
The brief length and focused coverage of Human 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,
· 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 for more information.
· 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 for more information.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 1985
6 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Roger Lewin
59 books17 followersRoger Lewin (born 1944) is a British prize-winning science writer and author of 20 books.
Lewin was a staff member of New Scientist in London for nine years. He went to Washington, D.C. to write for Science for ten years as News Editor. An example article was "Evolutionary Theory Under Fire", 21, November 1980, vol. 210, pp 883–887. Lewin wrote three books with Richard Leakey. He became a full-time freelance writer in 1989 and concentrated on writing books. In 1989 Roger Lewin won the Royal Society Prizes for Science Books for Bones of Contention.
In 2000, Lewin formed Harvest Associates with wife Birute Regine for business consulting. Together they wrote, The Soul at Work: Unleashing the Power of Complexity Science for Business Success, Orion Business Books (1999), republished as Weaving Complexity & Business: Engaging the Soul at Work, Texere (2000). He is a member of the Complexity Research Group at the London School of Economics.
Lewin was a staff member of New Scientist in London for nine years. He went to Washington, D.C. to write for Science for ten years as News Editor. An example article was "Evolutionary Theory Under Fire", 21, November 1980, vol. 210, pp 883–887. Lewin wrote three books with Richard Leakey. He became a full-time freelance writer in 1989 and concentrated on writing books. In 1989 Roger Lewin won the Royal Society Prizes for Science Books for Bones of Contention.
In 2000, Lewin formed Harvest Associates with wife Birute Regine for business consulting. Together they wrote, The Soul at Work: Unleashing the Power of Complexity Science for Business Success, Orion Business Books (1999), republished as Weaving Complexity & Business: Engaging the Soul at Work, Texere (2000). He is a member of the Complexity Research Group at the London School of Economics.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 28, 2013
Very clear and well laid out text - would be a perfect introduction for undergraduate students with an interest in this field. Well thought out illustrations throughout and a full reference list to enable further reading.
May 24, 2021
Paleoantropología al bolsillo.
Leer a Lewin, quién también colaboró con Richard Leakey, es un placer. Es muy conciso, no da tregua a la interpretación y es caso cuando no se cuenta con información suficiente como para dar un concepto definitivo. Este libro, al menos la edición de 1987, corresponde al número 64 de la colección "Biblioteca Científica Salvat", de los cuales cuento con algunos ejemplares, no todos, ya que son 100 y fueron impresos antes de que yo nazca.
Sin embargo, la selección de los títulos es muy buena, y el contenido es de primera. Leer a Roger Lewin sobre el origen del ser humano, pasando por los protohumanos, australophitecus, habilis, erectus, neandertales hasta el humano actual, es un recorrido muy amplio para la ciencia, pero extenuante para la especie. Leemos estos libros y nos damos cuenta de que somos hijos de la evolución, junto con las especies de flora y fauna que nos acompañan hasta el momento. Es muy prolijo y cuenta con muchas ilustraciones (al menos en blanco y negro) que explican muchas similitudes entre nuestros antepasados. No se mencionan a especies de -intersección- como los denisovanos, o algunos aspectos de paleogenética, debido a que el libro fue escrito en 1985, son más de 30 años de avance que Roger Lewin no coloca en este libro, pero su contenido es más que suficiente para dejar claro nuestro lugar en el mundo. Sumamente recomendado para quienes desean conocer de donde venimos.
Como lectura complementaria puede leerse a Bronowski, a José María Bermúdez de Castro (su parte dentro de Orígenes), y a Jordi Agustí (en su El ajedrez de la vida).
Leer a Lewin, quién también colaboró con Richard Leakey, es un placer. Es muy conciso, no da tregua a la interpretación y es caso cuando no se cuenta con información suficiente como para dar un concepto definitivo. Este libro, al menos la edición de 1987, corresponde al número 64 de la colección "Biblioteca Científica Salvat", de los cuales cuento con algunos ejemplares, no todos, ya que son 100 y fueron impresos antes de que yo nazca.
Sin embargo, la selección de los títulos es muy buena, y el contenido es de primera. Leer a Roger Lewin sobre el origen del ser humano, pasando por los protohumanos, australophitecus, habilis, erectus, neandertales hasta el humano actual, es un recorrido muy amplio para la ciencia, pero extenuante para la especie. Leemos estos libros y nos damos cuenta de que somos hijos de la evolución, junto con las especies de flora y fauna que nos acompañan hasta el momento. Es muy prolijo y cuenta con muchas ilustraciones (al menos en blanco y negro) que explican muchas similitudes entre nuestros antepasados. No se mencionan a especies de -intersección- como los denisovanos, o algunos aspectos de paleogenética, debido a que el libro fue escrito en 1985, son más de 30 años de avance que Roger Lewin no coloca en este libro, pero su contenido es más que suficiente para dejar claro nuestro lugar en el mundo. Sumamente recomendado para quienes desean conocer de donde venimos.
Como lectura complementaria puede leerse a Bronowski, a José María Bermúdez de Castro (su parte dentro de Orígenes), y a Jordi Agustí (en su El ajedrez de la vida).
March 22, 2022
I took a course on Human origins and evolution. This book was the one that provided us with all the information needed with excellent pictures and graphs.
October 17, 2020
An excellent, if a bit dated, introductory course on human evolution.
While the writing isn't opaque or esoteric, it can be demanding and requires substantive cognitive effort on the part of the reader. That is to say, it is neither a coffee table book nor a dumbed-down popularization of science that are a dime a dozen these days.
The only drawback is that it was published in 2004, and does not incorporate latest researches in evolutionary biology. But then, we do live in the age of internet!
Final rating: 4.5
While the writing isn't opaque or esoteric, it can be demanding and requires substantive cognitive effort on the part of the reader. That is to say, it is neither a coffee table book nor a dumbed-down popularization of science that are a dime a dozen these days.
The only drawback is that it was published in 2004, and does not incorporate latest researches in evolutionary biology. But then, we do live in the age of internet!
Final rating: 4.5
December 31, 2011
Hard to get through in some areas but it's required reading for an upcoming class on the 'Origins of Human Behavior' so I'll have to have another go...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews