The Origin of Races [Hardcover]

Carleton S. Coon (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 724 pages
• Publisher: Alfed A. Knopf, Inc; 1st edition (June 1962)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394301420
• ISBN-13: 978-0394301426
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #303,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best reference books on races that I have read., September 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Origin of Races (Hardcover)

This is an excellent examination of the origin
of the races, physical differences between the
races, and the development of the various
races.

Political correctness has greatly inhibited a
full and complete public discussion of this
topic. Too much intellectual and academic
freedom has been given up in the name of
political correctness.

Obviously, the publisher is afraid to re-publish
this book, for fear of offending someone, that
is why it is currently out of print

17 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably valid despite social unacceptance, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Origin of Races (Hardcover)

Good reading. Probably presents valid anthropological ideas. We should never close our eyes to his type of scientific analysis in the name of "political correctness", while ignoring the possibility that he just might be right! For a country that prides itself on open-mindedness and free speech, we can be the most censored people on earth!

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars remarkable insight for its time & despite the many errors much is still valid, September 11, 2005

By 

highduke (T.O, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origin of Races (Hardcover)

The first 100 pages read like Social Anthropology. The next 250 pages deal with animal anatomy and evolution. If you are not a student of Anatomy, you'll need to consult an encyclopedia 5 times per page in order to keep up. The last 400 pages deal with actual topic - the origin of races and you'll still need to keep the encyclopedia handy through that one. The glossary helps but sometimes you want more information. I learned so much from this book but only because I already knew which parts were discreditted by Genetics and which parts were still valid. For example:

Coon's theory as he expounds it in this book was that Caucasoids, Mongoloids, Negroids and Australoids and their phenotypes evolved from Homo Erectus populations living in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. He was wrong about that. Coon also hints that Negroids and Australoids may have developed the least from their Erectus ancestors than Mongoloids and Caucasoids.

Genetics has shown us that Humans evolved in Africa two million years ago, they entered Europe and branched into Caucasoids one hundred and twenty thousand years ago and branched into Mongoloids fourty thousand years ago in Asia. Nevertheless, it is possible to divide Humans into `races` under the same designations Coon used, (only today we call these 'human populations'). Cavalli-Sforza Genetic map of Human populations identifies Caucasoids, Mongoloids, Negroids and Australoids.

Most of the other observations on evolution and anatomy made by Coon in this book are still valid and are remarkably well thought out in spite of the fact that all the man had to work with were bones and carbon-dating. However, Coon underestimated the influence of Genetic Drift and he writes it off completely before page 60. He wisely discounted the relevance of blood-groups to `race.` Coon also came out against designating the many European phenotypes as `races` like he had in 1939 in `Races of Europe`.