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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not exactly what I expected, but still excellent, January 19, 2005
If you are looking for a survey of mammal species, a sort of wildlife guide, "Beast of Eden" is probably not the book for you. While author David Rains Wallace does offer interesting insight into a variety of different animals, this isn't a detailed zoological guide. Rather it is a survey of the development of theories of mammal evolution, which is interesting in its own right, but not entirely clear from the title.
That said Wallace has painted an amazing portrait, and I use this metaphor purposely. He has used Rudolph Zallinger's "Age of Mammals" mural from Yale's Peabody Museum to frame his discussion. As someone who grew up in New Haven and spent countless visits to the museum marveling at the mural and its associated specimens, I couldn't have been more delighted by this decision.
This approach serves a double purpose, the obvious one being that the mural's rather sophisticated visual portrayal of mammal evolution provides a nice counterpoint to Wallace's discussion. However, it also is inextricably tied the overall discussion as O.C. Marsh was in many ways the founder of North American paleontology and also the head of paleontology at Yale and the Peabody museum. His so called "bone-wars" with Edgar Cope of The American Museum of Natural History (among other locales) drove the development of numerous theories of mammal evolution, and while their rivalry was childish at best and the theater of the absurd at worst, it provided a dynamic environment which drove a host of brilliant paleontologists to their chosen field.
These bone-wars, and Darwin's theory of evolution provide the jumping off point for a survey of mammal evolution and it's associated theories. From neo-creationist arguments to Gould's punctuated equilibrium, Wallace provides a step by step evaluation of the rise and ebb of various arguments, and quite interestingly, links them into a whole. All too often, scientific theories are treated as emerging fully formed, as if from a vacuum, and while that occasionally occurs, it is more the exception than the rule. What Wallace has created in "Beasts of Eden" is a history of the evolution of evolutionary theory. In effect, this is a tribute to all the minds who have contributed to our understanding of who we are.
The primary reason that he is successful in this endeavor is that he is able to link species studied by one era/scientist to another. For example, Marsh was a student of horse evolution, and Wallace is able to trace the growth of this field as different scientists add to the base he provided. From linear progressions of ever ascending species, to parallel lines of evolution to cladistic diagrams and genetic analysis, Wallace presents evolution as we understand it today by explaining the journey.
I should warn that while not a scientific article, Wallace makes free use of scientific terms and quotes from scholarly sources. While one hardly need be a PhD to absorb and appreciate this work, some grounding in the life sciences will definitely make "Beasts of Eden" a more accessible work.
As I said before, "Beasts of Eden" isn't what it at first appears to be, but if you can stick with it, it provides a fascinating history of mammal paleontology. If the history of science isn't you're cup of tea, this may not be up your alley, but the framework it provides for future explorations in mammal speciation makes it a worthy addition to your bookshelf.
Jake Mohlman
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
More about recent human mammals!, April 27, 2005
Do not buy this if you want an overview of mammalian evolution. Most of the text is devoted to the humans that found the first mammalian fossils and how they inspired the AGE OF MAMMALS mural at the Peabody Museum. A great deal of the text is quotes of early paleontologists (Owen, Cope, Marsh, et al.), and when the actual mammals are mentioned, the reader is referred to the mural. Unfortunately, if you haven't committed the mural to memory, or you haven't studied mammalian evolution, you may have a tough time following the text, as there are few illustrations. If you are interested in the history of the discovery of these early mammal fossils, you may enjoy this book more than I. If, however, you are more interested in the evolution and systematics of those mammals, you may want to reconsider. In fact, I would recommend searching for a more thorough text(s) regarding these paleoworkers. There are other books that examine the Cope and Marsh battle from a broader platform, and there are numerous biographies of Owen, Huxley, Darwin, Cuvier and other covered in this book. This is not a book worthy of a paleontologist's library, but your local library should have a copy.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Horsing around with fossils, November 3, 2004
More than a century of "dinomania" has clouded our view of mammals, according to Wallace. Dinosaur books, movies and other media has maintained the view of human evolution as something "set apart" from the remainder of the animal kingdom. With this history he sweeps away much of that obscuring mist. His focus is on paintings in Yale University's Peabody Museum - the "Sistine Chapel of evolution". This striking comparison refers to Rudolph Zallinger's Age of Reptiles and Age of Mammals murals vividly illustrating the issues involved in tracing evolution's long course. Weaving the story behind the paintings with the revelations of fossil hunters over the years, he adds some appropriate observations of his own. The combination proves apt in this account of clashes of personalities and changes of outlook as more information comes into view over the decades.
There is a thread linking the elements of Wallace's narrative - horses. He explains how horses have two attributes typifying the questions arising from the study of ancient mammals - teeth and feet. Tooth structure is a significant sign of the animal's diet, hence the likely environment in which it lived. Browsers mean forests, which likely mean warm, humid conditions. Grazers mean grasslands and cooler, arid conditions. Multi-toed feet, typical in the small, early equine species indicate slower movement and a plodding pace suitable to forests. Fewer toes and lighter legs mean speed in open spaces. Fossils signalling various "horse" ancestors appeared in many places in the late 19th Century. Wallace notes how the sequencing of these fossils supported Darwin's concept. It also led to a serious debate over whether evolution had a "purpose".
Darwin's insight led to many debates, but the one over "purpose" is only now declining quietly. "Orthogenesis" contends that today's forms are the result of Nature's "experiments" leading to modern "perfect" versions. To humans, the issue is significant in that Nature used all those millennia tinkering with life to ultimately produce us. Wallace introduces us to many paleontologists and their theories of life. In his account, orthogenesis remains a prevalent sub-theme for many years.
Wallace recapitulates the "bone wars" of 19th Century Britain and America, with O.C. Marsh and E.D. Cope bringing ancient life to the public eye. Their verbal brawls and race to find and name new species became an entertainment spectacle. Although they concentrated on dinosaurs, digging doesn't always produce what you're expecting. Mammal fossils, even if not viewed as important as the great reptiles, continued to emerge. One find, as Wallace explains, was made in Patagonia in the last years of the 19th Century. The fossil showed how mammals flourished in the "Age of the Dinosaurs" and forced re-thinking of mammalian evolution. Later revelations put "orthogenesis" on shaky ground as the species tree grew bushier. A linear path from early mammals to humans appeared less likely.
It was horses again, and the giant of American paleontology, George Gaylord Simpson, that drove the final nail in the coffin of orthogenesis. Dinosaurs had led some to link size with success. Simpson demonstrated otherwise. Adaptability, he argued, was far more significant an element. He showed in detailed analysis that the various horse species were not in linear progression. Many side branches show adaptation to new environments. The same outlook took many years to be applied to the evolution of humans. Wallace describes the struggle over identifying anthropoid and other primates that might have led to humans. His depiction inevitably leads him to reflect on Stephen Gould and Niles Eldredge's idea of "punctuated equilibrium", which purported to challenge "neo-Darwinism" and finds it inapplicable in mammalian evolution.
By using Zallinger's paintings as a pivot, Wallace has produced a book both compelling and informative. His style keeps your interest, as does his introduction to the individuals making history in explaining prehistory. Many were obscure before this book and some need further exposure. Anyone visiting the Peabody Museum would do well to have this book as a guide to Zallinger's work. Anybody reading this will not speed past the murals as irrelevant. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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