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Principles of Human Evolution
 
 
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Principles of Human Evolution [Paperback]

Robert Andrew Foley (Author), Roger Lewin (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Book Description

0632047046 978-0632047048 January 5, 2004 2
Principles of Human Evolution presents an in-depth introduction to paleoanthropology and the study of human evolution. Focusing on the fundamentals of evolutionary theory and how these apply to ecological, molecular genetic, paleontological and archeological approaches to important questions in the field, this timely textbook will help students gain a perspective on human evolution in the context of modern biological thinking.

The second edition of this successful text features the addition of Robert Foley, a leading researcher in Human Evolutionary Studies, to the writing team. Strong emphasis on evolutionary theory, ecology and behavior and scores of new examples reflect the latest evolutionary theories and recent archaeological finds. More than a simple update, the new edition is organized by issue rather than chronology, integrating behavior, adaptation and anatomy. A new design and new figure references make this edition more accessible for students and instructors.


  • New author, Robert Foley – leading figure in Human Evolutionary Studies – joins the writing team.
  • Dedicated website – www.blackwellpublishing.com/lewin – provides study resources and artwork downloadable for Powerpoint presentations.
  • Beyond the Facts boxes – explore key scientific debates in greater depth.
  • Margin Comments – indicate the key points in each section.
  • Key Questions – review and test students’ knowledge of central chapter concepts and help focus the way a student approaches reading the text.
  • New emphasis on ecological and behavioral evolution – in keeping with modern research.
  • Fully up to date with recent fossil finds and interpretations; integration of genetic and paleoanthropological approaches.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Review from Times Higher Education Supplement, February 2004
-Alan Bilsborough, University of Durham

Human evolutionary studies now encompasses such wide-ranging subject matter that accounts confined to simple narrations of the fossil record no longer suffice, while the pace of discovery creates a continuing demand for clear, balanced introductions to the subject. This book's authors - an expert science communicator and a researcher who has had a major influence in broadening theoretical perspectives on human evolution - form a dream team to guide us through the subject's complexities.

This much-expanded second edition of an established text differs from its predecessor and virtually every other treatment in its range and its emphasis on principles, whether of evolutionary theory, phylogenetics, behaviour, ecology or comparative frameworks. Whereas most accounts condense such fundamentals into an abbreviated introduction before homing in on the hominid fossil record, this book dedicates some 200 pages, or about 40 per cent of the text, to the subject. The approach is to view human evolution as exemplifying general evolutionary forces and processes that impact on hominids as on other species, not to treat human evolution as a one-off case for which issues of evolutionary dynamics, adaptation, ecology and so on have little, if any, relevance.

The book is impressively broad in scope, well organised and clearly written. Key issues are flagged up, with questions alongside the text to serve as prompts. Alternative interpretations are accurately summarised, with a balanced commentary and sufficient facts to indicate each argument's basics without overloading detail. Each chapter ends with a "Beyond the facts" box summarising a current issue and its underlying concepts to stimulate further thought.

There are reasonable illustrations of important fossil specimens and excellent diagrams that greatly clarify issues of theory and interpretation. An associated website promises further resources.

I would have welcomed rather more coverage of the fossil evidence; on the other hand, there is a very clear pr?cis of genetic data bearing on modern human origins, and an excellent account of cognitive and behavioural aspects of human evolution.

The book is aimed at the US market but will find many takers this side of the Atlantic among anthropology, archaeology and evolutionary biology students. Inevitably, some aspects will quickly be overtaken by new discoveries. The website, if developed, will help here, but minor obsolescences matter little compared with the book's great strength, which is to provide readers with an accessible, secure and comprehensive conceptual framework for human evolution, within which they can make sense of new developments.

Alan Bilsborough, University of Durham, Times Higher Education Supplement, February 2004

Book Description

Principles of Human Evolution presents an in-depth introduction to paleoanthropology and the study of human evolution. Focusing on the fundamentals of evolutionary theory and molecular genetics approaches to important questions in the field, this timely textbook will help students gain a perspective on human evolution in the context of modern biological thinking.The second edition of this successful text features the addition of Robert Foley, a leading researcher in Human Evolutionary Studies, to the writing team. Strong emphasis on evolutionary theory, ecology, and behavior and scores of new examples reflect the latest evolutionary theories and recent archaeological finds. More than a simple update, the new edition is organized by issue rather than chronology, integrating behavior, adaptation, and anatomy. A new design and new figure references make this edition more accessible for students and instructors.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (January 5, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0632047046
  • ISBN-13: 978-0632047048
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An overall comprehensive overview of paleoanthropology, April 28, 2000
Well-written for a freshman physical anthropology course, complete with numerous illustrations and charts. Roger Lewin explains in concise and easily-understandable language not only the field of paleoanthropology, but basic evolutionary theory, dating techniques, and paleoprimatology. The book presents multiple views on any debated issue, which should encourage open-mindedness and objectivity among students. However, "Principles of Human Evolution" afforded inadequate coverage to the earliest hominids, instead devoting the whole first half of the text to non-paleoanthropological background information. While this may be useful to beginners, readers who already possess the necessary background will feel inclined to skip ahead. There is also a lack of much anatomical detail, with which the text might have been much more informative and appealing to more advanced anthro readers. Overall, a good book, but there is still room for improvement.
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20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars a lousy textbook, March 7, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Principles of Human Evolution (Paperback)
I was considering this textbook for the human evolution class that I am teaching and did not like it. The text is full of unidefined terminology, such as "...intertro-chanteric groove that runs from a small and moderately deep trochanteric fossa to just above the lesser trochanter." (p 238). No discussion of the significance of this feature follows. Discussion of anatomical adaptations to bipedality is very sketchy, limited to basics (1.5 page). There are numerous allusions to circumscientific conflicts, apparently intended for those few dedicated who attend annual AAPA meetings, e. g.: "Although the nature of the discovery is mired in political controversy, there seems to be little doubt..." (p237).

Book design is also very poor, and the illustrations are borderline with unprofessional. I had to go to the original publications to identify the blur objects shown on Fig. 9.6. See also figs 9.7, 11.7, 11.4. Of course, illustrations adapted from John Fleagle's book are great, some presented without proper reference (e.g. Fig 6.24). However, if you want a textbook with Fleagle's illustrations, just buy "Primate Adaptations and Evolution", a great textbook.

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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Principles of Human Evolution, March 26, 2000
I enjoyed this book, which is essentially a general text on modern anthropology. It discusses not only the physical evidence for human evolution, it also outlines for the student the history and current status of controversies within the field. The latter includes such topics as the "lumping" and "splitting" of species, the "out of Africa" verses the "multi-regional" theories of modern human origins, the Neanderthal controversey, and the evolution of consciousness as the true measure of what it means to be "human." The book would make a good text for an introductory college level course to physical anthropology but might also interest the high school level student.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
As the train doors open at many stations on the London Underground, a disembodied voice can be heard saying "Mind the gap" to warn passengers that there is a larger than usual step between the train and the platform. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
early hominin evolution, hominin origins, unimale polygyny, hominin clade, hominin history, archaic hominins, hominin species, other robust australopithecines, early hominins, radiopotassium dating, hominin status, first hominins, hominin fossil record, earliest hominins, hominin lineage, hominin phylogeny, extinct hominins, hominin fossils, hominin sites, multiregional evolution model, multiregional evolution hypothesis, catarrhine evolution, later hominins, fossil hominins, potential reproductive output
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Upper Paleolithic, Lake Turkana, Middle Paleolithic, North America, Olduvai Gorge, University of California, South America, Courtesy of Robert Foley, Koobi Fora, Alan Walker, Harvard University, Mary Leakey, Middle Awash, Richard Leakey, Middle Pleistocene, Tim White, Cambridge University, David Pilbeam, Man the Hunter, Middle Stone Age, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Glynn Isaac, Rift Valley, Robert Martin
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