Origins

Description

Where did we come from? Where are we going?

Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin continue the pioneering field work of Louis and Mary Leakey by fitting together the pieces of our past to discover new answers to these age-old questions. The authors explore our long-buried past—from the feral roots of humanity, through the eons of time, to society today, replete with its wonders and anomalies—searcing for valuable insights into the future of modern society.

In this vast survey of human origins and evolution, Leakey and Lewin present intriguing scientific information in such a way that the general reader will be fascinated and drawn into the search.

“One of the most readable and informative boks of its kind.” — Ashley Montagu, Saturday Review

“It is a pleasure to see in print an authentic representation of what are, with only minor exceptions, the views held by most of the professionals in the field. Graced with humor, intriguing ideas, and unfamiliar insights.’ — Carl Sagan, The New York Times Book Review

1. Humanity in Perspective
2. The Greatest Revolution
3. The Roots of Humanity
4. Hominid Beginnings
5. The Cradle of Mankind
6. From Africa to Agriculture
7. The First Mixed Economy
8. Intelligence, Language, and the Human Mind
9. Aggression, Sex, and Human Nature
10. Mankind in Prospective

For Further Reading
Index

Richard Leakey, whom Harvard’s David Pilbeam calls the “organizing genius of modern paleoanthropology,” is the director of the National Museums of Kenya. The son of Louis and Mary Leakey, Richard has continued his parents’ pioneering field work in East Africa.
Roger Lewin is a biochemist, Deputy Editor of the British magazine, New Scientist, and the author of In Defense of the Body, as well as two other highly-praised books on biology.US