The Last Neanderthal: The Rise, Success, and Mysterious Extinction of Our Closest Human Relatives [Hardcover]

Ian Tattersall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996

Scientists have long known that the popular image of the Neanderthal as a primitive, hairy, heavily browed, club-wielding brute is not supported by the fossil evidence. But to date, no such consensus has existed on the riddle of Neanderthals' disappearance. The Last Neanderthal, written by one of the most respected authorities he subject and supported by a dazzling wealth of material, paints the first full portrait of the most familiar and haunting of human relatives. Drawing on the latest findings and sophisticated new techniques of analysis, Ian Tattersall marshals the best available evidence to unravel the mysteries of the Neanderthals -- who they were, how they lived, how they succeeded for so long. Drawing on his own research and the work of others, Tattersall takes on the most fascinating question of all -- what happened to them? This revised edition is fully updated to include information on Tattersall's recent survey of all known Neanderthal fossils and cutting-edge work with Neanderthal DNA.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Tattersall, a polished presenter of paleoanthropology (The Fossil Trail ), turns this album toward a specific vexation of the field: the relation of our species to the Neanderthals. Do they constitute lineal ancestors or a separate evolutionary branch? Were they exterminated or absorbed by humans about 30,000 years ago? Interpretations of the evidence excite strenuous debate among the experts, as chronicled in James Shreeve's The Neandertal Enigma , so what's a curious amateur to make of the brouhaha? That's where Tattersall (also a museum curator) excels as he conveys the essentials of the technical literature to the public. These consist of methods by which Neanderthal sites are dated, what inferences may be drawn from the fossils' anatomy, and for background, a narrative of current knowledge about the hominid line. Abundant full-page photos of specimens and archaeological digs cement Tattersall's clarity on the topic, making this an immeasurable aid to students and armchair anthropologists alike. Gilbert Taylor

Review

This intense, illustrated consideration of the origins and extinction of early Man uses recent discoveries to explain why Neanderthals continue to be so perplexing a scientific mystery. This includes plenty of background history to probe both the foundations for past and present theories and the likely applications of new scientific research and discoveries. -- Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan General Reference; 1 edition (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028608135
• ISBN-13: 978-0028608136
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #776,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excelent and profound book. Read it!, June 15, 2000

By 

Roberto Caballero - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Neanderthal : The Rise, Success, and Mysterious Extinction of Our Closest Human Relatives (Paperback)

This profusely illustrated and well written book deals with the Neanderthals and the world they lived in, as well as their lifestyles and "technology". Starting in Chapter 1, the author gradually introduces the reader in the Neanderthal world, also explaining other interesting areas related to their study, such as how evolution works, how was the world during Neanderthal periods, and techniques used in dating the antiquity of fossils. The book contains a lot of photographs on Neanderthal skulls and skeletons, as well as some of the tools they used. Requiring almost no background in anthropology or paleoanthropology, this book contains a lot of information and it is very thought provoking, and I think is a must for anyone interested in learning about our closest relatives.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Illustrations, Clear Concepts, Outstanding Text, December 13, 2003

By 

Jeffery Steele (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Neanderthal: The Rise, Success, and Mysterious Extinction of Our Closest Human Relatives (Hardcover)

I'm not a reader who usually pays too much attention to photos and illustrations, but I could recommend "The Last Neanderthal" on that basis alone. There are nearly 150 of them in this 200-page book, some covering an entire page in my oversized edition. Almost all of them are superb. The illustrations are mostly of various fossilized bones and reconstructions. They are not haphazardly thrown throughout the book or tightly grouped in the middle, but introduced when appropriate for the text.

Ian Tattersall's set-up of what is known about Neanderthals is masterful. Most of the first third of the book is about evolution, how fossilization works, and a brief description about what is known of the precursors to both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. Tattersall is clearly at home with this material and confident in his presentation of it. He takes his time in this area - even though it has little to directly do with the topic of his book - because one cannot understand Neanderthals unless one has some understanding of other pre-modern humans and the scientific techniques used to understand them.

The set-up is not wasted on a flat ending. When Tattersall finally gets to the Neanderthals, he maintains a high level of interest for the reader by first showing how the scholarly views on Neanderthals have changed so much over the last hundred-fifty years (much more fascinating than it sounds) and then by moving into areas about its evolution and what is known about its lifestyle. He appears to be a fair partisan, pointing out evidence both for and against different sides of the numerous controversial topics on Neanderthals.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Intro To Our Neanderthal "Cousins", May 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Neanderthal : The Rise, Success, and Mysterious Extinction of Our Closest Human Relatives (Paperback)

I am a high school student with an interest in human origins and I found "The Last Neanderthal" fascinating. The author does justice to Neanderthals without making the book too academic. He answers, as much as current theory and evidence allow, many of the questions I had about Neanderthals: How much like us in intellect and abstract thought were the Neanderthals? Were they our ancestors? What was their geographic range? How many were there? When did they disappear? Did modern humans eliminate them? And so on. Tattersall discusses cranial shapes and skeletal remains, other human ancestors, genetics, stone tools, cave bears, and what have you. There are plenty of photographs of skeletons, skulls, tools, maps, and plenty of sidebar topics. This is a great book for intelligent laypeople of all ages and I greatly recommend it.