The Beginning of the Age of Mammals [Hardcover]

Kenneth D. Rose (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0801884721 | ISBN-13: 978-0801884726 | Publication Date: September 26, 2006

In the tradition of G. G. Simpson's classic work, Kenneth D. Rose's The Beginning of the Age of Mammals analyzes the events that occurred directly before and after the mysterious K-T boundary which so quickly thrust mammals from obscurity to planetary dominance.

Rose surveys the evolution of mammals, beginning with their origin from cynodont therapsids in the Mesozoic, contemporary with dinosaurs, through the early Cenozoic, with emphasis on the Paleocene and Eocene adaptive radiations of therian mammals. Focusing on the fossil record, he presents the anatomical evidence used to interpret behavior and phylogenetic relationships. The life's work of one of the most knowledgeable researchers in the field, this richly illustrated, magisterial book combines sound scientific principles and meticulous research and belongs on the shelf of every paleontologist and mammalogist.

(2009)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This beautiful and thorough book will be an essential tool for all those who work on fossil and extant mammals, and for both advanced undergraduate and graduate students. It is a 'must buy' for palaeontological libraries.

(Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska Nature 2007)

This volume will be extremely valuable, particularly for mammalogists used to dealing only with the time slice of the Recent... Highly recommended.

(Choice 2007)

The first comprehensive synthesis of mammal evolution in more than 20 years. It is arguably the most significant contribution to the field since George Simpson's classic work Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals.

(Amy Chew Quarterly Review of Biology 2007)

Will almost certainly become a heavily used reference and mainstay in the classroom for students and teachers of mammalian evolution... Deserving of accolades as a particularly noteworthy achievement.

(Christopher C. Gilbert Evolutionary Anthropology 2007)

Remarkable book.

(Peter Langer Mammalian Biology 2008)

Authoritative, up-to-date, and full of references to corroborate synthetic overviews of major events in mammalian evolution. Ken Rose does his profession a service by providing a compact analysis of the history of the diverse Class Mammalia through the end of the Eocene Epoch and beyond.

(Lawrence J. Flynn Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology )

A must reference for all mammalian and aspiring mammalian paleontologists.

(J.D. Archibald Journal of Mammalian Evolution )

About the Author

Kenneth D. Rose is a professor at the Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a research associate at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. He is co-editor of The Rise of Placental Mammals: Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades, also published by Johns Hopkins.

(2009)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801884721
• ISBN-13: 978-0801884726
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book for anyone interested in mammalian paleontology, June 4, 2008

By 

B. Burger "Fossil Feak" (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beginning of the Age of Mammals (Hardcover)

This is it, the only book you need on the evolution of mammals during the early Cenozoic, and their amazing diversification after the extinction of the dinosaurs. The down side of this book is that it does not continue into the later part of the Cenozoic, but sticks to Dr. Rose's expertise of Paleocene and Eocene mammals. The photographs and illustrations are from various scientific articles and publications, but are nicely brought together, including a number of colored photographs and reconstructions in the center of the book. The biggest drawback, is the high price of the book. Dinosaur books are priced a lot less, and I don't understand why publishers don't do likewise with books about fossil mammals. Hopefully, a cheaper soft cover will become available or you can try and get your local library to purchase the book for you. I would not spend the $120, if I was not really into fossils.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The rise of mammals, August 20, 2009

By 

Hubert Cumberdale (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Beginning of the Age of Mammals (Hardcover)

Ken Rose's book is a truly magisterial contribution that should be on the bookshelf of every serious student of mammalian biology and evolution. Indeed, it provides a model for book-length treatments of the evolutionary history of other vertebrate groups. Rose provides a clearly written, richly illustrated overview of the early Cenozoic history of mammals, synthesizing a vast amount of technical literature on this fascinating subject and the results of his own research and thinking over more than three decades. An extensive bibliography provides an invaluable guide to the primary literature, which is widely scattered and published in many different languages.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Age of Mammals, August 4, 2008

By 

V. Ward - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Beginning of the Age of Mammals (Hardcover)

A high quality book for paleo-hobbyists. Large number of quality illustrations and a lot of general information.