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Our Origins: Discovering Biological Anthropology

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The best introduction to what’s fascinating and relevant about anthropology today


Our Origins does more than any other text to educate students about the value of anthropological study and the ways they can apply it in their everyday lives. Norton, more than any other publisher, promotes student engagement with anthropology. Norton continues to innovate with our unique “Anthropology at Work” and “Anthropology Matters” text features that ensure students connect with the course material and understand the underlying science and why it matters. This pedagogy complements Larsen’s emphasis on introducing students to the most exciting and important discoveries and research happening in the field today. This purchase offers access to the digital ebook only.

1855 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2019

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231 people want to read

About the author

Clark Spencer Larsen

48 books12 followers

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Robin Redden.
312 reviews2 followers
October 24, 2021
I read this textbook along with Introduction to Physical Anthropology by Jurmain, et al. This appealed to the intellectual/writer geek in me and was an interesting exercise to compare the two textbooks. Larsen's was published in 2011 and the other in 2017 (written by a group of 5 authors). The last 10 years has uncovered additional information and new homo species that are not mentioned here and so both texts are slightly out of date at this time (I'm writing a review in 2021). However, 90% of the information is still valid.

This is your basic Anthropology 101 college level textbook with clear, easy to understand language and many great images that bring the topic to life. Fascinating, enlightening, informative. A great refresh and update to my prior anthropology knowledge gained 40 years ago.
Profile Image for Nicole.
47 reviews24 followers
July 26, 2018
I read this as a textbook for a Human Origins class I took this summer and it was one of the more well-written and enjoyable textbooks that I've read. Despite containing a great deal of human history in it's contents, the author's writing style was clear and alive rather than dry and boring. Every now and then they slip in an anecdote about their field work which, I felt, added a little more reality and credibility. It reminded me that the work is still ongoing for information about the origins of humanity.
Profile Image for Emily Austin.
56 reviews1 follower
November 19, 2019
A beautiful textbook! Wonderful, updated information and gorgeous graphics. This book truly helped me understand the world of Anthropology as we know it today. I gained a deeper interest in the course and a passion for the material provided. I highly recommend this for any Anthro teachers, students, or those that are just plain curious.
Profile Image for Heather Wilson.
17 reviews10 followers
January 10, 2013
Incredibly interesting and well written. Kept me fascinated and not bored.
Profile Image for Rye.
54 reviews13 followers
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February 21, 2022
Forgot to log this for December 2021
Profile Image for Dejanira Dawn.
298 reviews53 followers
December 16, 2016
Loved this textbook and this class. I think I may just want to buy the new edition that's coming out next year xD. Its a binder book(3 holes) so I cant trade it back in but honestly, I wasn't planning on it!
Profile Image for Leela.
23 reviews3 followers
May 8, 2011
This textbook is fantastic and will give you a solid basic understanding of physical anthropology. Usually I trade my books in, but I might just keep this one. :)
Profile Image for Dalia.
4 reviews
July 28, 2011
great book for anthro enthusiasts with lots of interesting info.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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