Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (3rd Edition) [Hardcover]

Steven N. Byers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0205512291 | ISBN-13: 978-0205512294 | Edition: 3

Comprehensive and engaging, Byers’s Introduction to Forensic Anthropology, 3e uses thoughtful pedagogy to lead students step-by-step through the most current and detailed forensic anthropology material available today.

This one-of-a-kind text offers comprehensive coverage of all of the major topics in the field of forensics with accuracy, intensity, and clarity. Extensive illustrations and photos ensure that the text is accessible for students.

 

As one reviewer says, “There is no other source available that is so comprehensive in its coverage of the methods and issues in the current practice of forensic anthropology.”

 

Another raves, “The first edition has been a big hit with my students, and I have been very pleased with the ease with which this text has corresponded to my class lecture structure . . . I am anxiously awaiting the next edition!”

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Introduction to Forensic Anthropology

Third Edition

Steven N. Byers (University of New Mexico-Valencia)

 

 

Overview:

Comprehensive and engaging, Byers’s Introduction to Forensic Anthropology, Third Edition uses thoughtful pedagogy to lead students step-by-step through the most current and detailed forensic anthropology  material available today.

 

New to This Edition:

• A discussion of the importance of the Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Supreme Court decision to Forensic Anthropology (Chapter 1).
• A section on excavation methods for mass graves (Chapter 4).
• An easy—to-apply method for attributing ancestry from measurements of the femur (Chapter 7).
• New material on attributing sex from the head of the radius and on attributing sex to subadults (Chapter 8).
• Current information on trauma and its causative instruments (Chapters 12, 13, 14).

 

Other Titles of Interest:

Byers’s Forensic Anthropology Laboratory Manual, Second Edition (ISBN: 0-205-53236-5)
Designed to accompany Introduction to Forensic Anthropology, Third Edition by Steven Byers, the second edition of the Laboratory Manual reinforces lectures through its exercises and worksheets, allowing students to apply what is learned and helping instructors toward the goal of training students in forensic anthropology.

 

Please visit www.ablongman.com/anthropology for more information on Allyn & Bacon Anthropology titles.

About the Author

Steve Byers received his B.A. and M.A. from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO. His Master’s Thesis, entitled “A reconstruction of the skull of Gigantopithecus blacki”, formed the basis for YFX Studio's full reconstruction of Gigantopithecus on display at the San Diego Museum of Man. His first teaching job was at the University of Southern Colorado (now call Colorado State Universiy, Pueblo) where he taught Anthropology for two and a half years. From there, he worked as a social and psychological researcher until he decided that his true love was Anthropology. He enrolled at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, NM, where he studied skeletal biology and bioarchaeology.

 

Since graduating in 1992, he has taught part-time at the various campuses of UNM as well as Santa Fe Community College. When given the opportunity to teach a forensic anthropology class at UNM in 1998, he realized that the field lacked a comprehensive textbook. Since no one appeared to be writing one, he decided to take on the project. The first edition of his textbook, published by Allyn and Bacon (since subsumed under Prentice Hall), appeared in 2002, and has been put into new editions three times. The book received a very favorable review in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, as well as several regional anthropology associations.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 3 edition (February 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205512291
• ISBN-13: 978-0205512294
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,437 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Be careful of the details, July 2, 2010

By 

Christophe Barrett (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

I reviewed this book for possible inclusion in an Introductory Forensic Anthropology class I have been teaching for ten years. Two shortcomings in the text led me to adopt another book for the course:

1. Photography: Whether because of the paper quality or the skills of the photographer, many of the photographs were grainy or too small to be useful.

2. Accuracy: This is the third edition, and yet more than one method is misrepresented or mis-cited. An example is ectocranial suture closure, which specifies the wrong points on the skull for the vault system. In addition, the discussion of the post-mortem interval and the "precision" of these estimates is greatly at odds with others in the field, and may give students the impression that these techniques are more reliable than they really are.

It also should be noted that many of the diagrams, charts, and other essential information comes directly from other texts. For those interested in Forensic Anthropology and Osteology, "The Human Bone Manual" by White and Folkens and "Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains" will provide a more useful treatment of these subjects.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - Very informative., February 14, 2010

By 

N. Davidek - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

A very informative text - lots of pictures - that doesn't go into too much detail so that you are bored reading it. Definitely gives good insight into the field of forensic anthropology - things television shows won't teach you. Overall a good text for an introduction into Forensic Anthropology. I haven't gotten very far in the text - as the semester has just recently begun - but I do wish that it was bundled with case studies. My professor gives a lot of examples, but he doesn't have them all and it would be interesting if there was case study that applied the subjects of every chapter. That way, you could see how important each step is in solving cases.

5.0 out of 5 stars Speedy delivery by seller ++, February 21, 2012

By 

Oscar B. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (4th Edition) (Pearson Custom Anthropology) (Hardcover)

Purchased this book for my Anthropology class. Not for curious people. Intense graphic images and detailed explanations regarding decedents and estimating times of death. Very informative. I guess the only thing for me to review is the seller since i am sure i will be selling this book again. Great, fast, and attentive service :)