How Humans Evolved (Fifth Edition) [Paperback]

Robert Boyd (Author), Joan B. Silk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0393932710 | ISBN-13: 978-0393932713 | Edition: Fifth Edition

With its unique blend of evolutionary theory, population genetics and behavioral ecology, How Humans Evolved provides students with the most contemporary and complete introduction to physical anthropology available.

Robert Boyd and Joan B. Silk’s modern presentation of genetics and observable behaviors in living humans and non-human primates moves beyond merely describing anthropological finds to showing students the “big picture” ideas behind human evolution.

For the Fifth Edition, Boyd and Silk have updated the text to include the best of current research in the areas of genetics, behavior and the fossil record that conveys the excitement of anthropological discovery. This new coverage reflects strengthened coverage of molecular genetics and a streamlined presentation of primatology.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Boyd has written widely on evolutionary theory, focusing especially on the evolution of cooperation and role of culture in human evolution. His book Culture and the Evolutionary Process received the J. I. Staley Prize. He has also published numerous articles in scientific journals and has edited volumes. He is currently Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles and on the faculty of the Santa Fe Institute.

Joan B. Silk has conducted extensive research on the social lives of monkeys and apes, including extended fieldwork on chimpanzees at Gombe Stream Reserve in Tanzania, and baboons in Kenya and Botswana. She is also interested in the application of evolutionary thinking to human behavior. She has published numerous articles in scientific journals and scholarly edited volumes, and is currently Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 474 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Fifth Edition edition (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393932710
• ISBN-13: 978-0393932713
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now in its Fourth Edition, April 17, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Humans Evolved, Fourth Edition (Paperback)

Any textbook that makes it to four editions has to be a good one, in use at a lot of places and one that fits the current collected wisdom of the subject. I say this bit about the current wisdom because all of the sciences are moving forward at an extremely rapid rate. New theories, new discoveries make science change.

This book is rare, if not unique, in how it presents controversy. Some scientists believe this, some believe that. Most authors tend to have beliefs that lean one way or the other. In this book the tendency is instead to present both views and give the evidence for each. This approach is more adapted to how science really works, but it is unusual, especially in a book intended for undergraduate use.

This book is somewhat of a combination between anthropology and evolutionary biology. As such it brings a better understanding of how human beings became what they are today, one slow step at a time. It also presents all of the known evidence from both field observations and laboratory testing. It shows a picture of Lucy's bones, and it goes into DNA and gene theory. It is complete a text as you are goign to find.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of Evolutionary Theory, August 30, 2000

By 

Thomas P. Ambrose (Ypsilanti , MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Humans Evolved (Paperback)

This book was the required text for an anthropology course I took recently. The book explained things well and actually made complex biological concepts simple to understand, even for a undergraduate. It provides a very detailed and easy to understand overview of human evolution and the biology of human culture. I would recommend this book.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great textbook, February 22, 2003

By 

Empyreal (LA, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Humans Evolved, Third Edition (Paperback)

I was assigned this book for my physical anthropology class. Overall, it's very easy to understand. THe authors explain difficult concepts well for the most part, and they usually include diagrams or pictures to reinforce the point. Granted the chapters on genetics weren't the easiest things on earth to understand, but I had a firm biology background from high school so it was not an issue. The authors also do a good job of making the concepts very interesting and alive, a difficult task for a college textbook.

Overall, it's a great book and very informative.