The Innocent Assassins [Hardcover]

Björn Kurtén (Author), Eric J. Friis (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1991

-- Science News

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This collection by a noted paleontologist covers a range of topics from a stew dinner made from a 36,000-year-old frozen bison to a fanciful look at how a man would experience the world if he were reduced to the size of an ant. Kurten is at his best writing about Ice Age animals (his area of specialty), but all his essays overflow with ideas, many drawn from his own extensive reading (the "innocent assassins" are sabertooth tigers from a poem by Loren Eiseley). General readers can enjoy these essays, which are also sophisticated enough to appeal to those with a background in evolution or paleontology. Some of the subjects have been presented in longer books for the same audience, such as R. Dale Guthrie's Frozen Fauna of the Mammoth Steppe: The Story of Blue Babe (Univ. of Chicago Pr., 1990) or Knut Schmidt-Neilson's Scaling: Why Is Animal Size So Important? (Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1984). For larger science collections.
- Amy Brunvand, Fort Lewis Coll. Lib., Durango, Col.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

An entertaining cornucopia of science philosophy, explanations of the evolution of Earth and its inhabitants, and anecdotes from the author's own field research. -- Science News

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231072767
• ISBN-13: 978-0231072762
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,427,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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