The First Humans: Human Origins and History to 10,000 B.C. (Illustrated History of Humankind, Vol. 1) [Hardcover]

Goran Burenhult (Editor), American Museum of Natural History (Corporate Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1993 | Series: Illustrated History of Humankind

Spanning human history to 10,000 B.C., a look at human history discusses the great apes, the origins of language, dating the past, global expansion, and extinct species and features photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and maps. 20,000 first printing. $70,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This survey of human origins and prehistory weds 350 color photographs and graphics to short, popularly written essays by 28 international scientists who piece together a momentous tale of human beginnings, adaptation and survival. Current controversies such as who our direct ancestors were, when language began and whether humans first appeared in Africa (the consensus here is that they did) are aired, if sometimes perfunctorily. Chapters also delve into the flowering of European cave art, Paleoindian cultures of North America, the settlement of ancient Australia and the Pacific, and early Arctic cultures. As the first entry in a five-volume "The Illustrated History of Humankind" series assembled by Manhattan's American Museum of Natural History, this is a stunning achievement and a book to treasure. Thomas is a curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History; Burenhult is a Swedish archeologist. 30,000 first printing; $70,000 ad/promo
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-This attractive, oversized volume can hold its own among art and photography books. It is an aesthetic delight with high-quality paper, engrossing photographs, and well-designed diagrams. The book opens with a discussion of "What Is Humankind?" The first three chapters explore aggression, language, tools, sex roles, religion, group behavior, and evolution. Although incorporating the work and writings of scholars from many disciplines-biology, anthropology, psychology, geology-the text focuses on how early humans came to populate our planet, and how they adapted to different environments.
Lois Steele, R.E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062502654
• ISBN-13: 978-0062502650
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,391,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The First Humans, December 19, 2001

By 

A. Hiusser (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The First Humans: Human Origins and History to 10,000 B.C. (Illustrated History of Humankind, Vol. 1) (Hardcover)

I thought that this book was an excellent resource for people researching the roots of humankind. The only problem with it that I had was that it tended to give different facts in different parts of the book. For example, in one part it said that it was proven that Neanderthals buried their dead with ibex horns, or cave bear skulls and therefore had a religion and believed in an afterlife, but in other parts it stated that the ibex horns were just thrown in the general area of the burial and that the cave bear skulls were the result of several generations of cave bears living in the cave and dying out before the Neanderthals moved in. I thought it was a good read, but in some places controversial and confusing. If you're into prehistory and evolution, I wouldn't be without this volume. I would actually give it 4 1/2 stars.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very precise,with a lot of colorful photographs, December 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The First Humans: Human Origins and History to 10,000 B.C. (Illustrated History of Humankind, Vol. 1) (Hardcover)

The book has a lot of information on the scientific research done in the escavations of ancient hominides;our ancestors and the only clue to the finding of the "missing link".The book shows the different sites of the discoveries,hominides like "homo habilis" and "astrolophitecus".A very fine book for the antrophology "conosseur" and enthusiast.