Journey from Eden: The Peopling of Our World (Hardcover)

by Brian M. Fagan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Fagan, an archaeologist and author of The Great Journey: The Peopling of Ancient America ( LJ 9/15/87) and other books, begins this account of the emergence of "anatomically modern" humans with the genetic evidence for a common human ancestor, nicknamed "Eve," living in Africa approximately 200,000 years ago. He then explores the evidence for two theories of human dispersal. The "Noah's Ark" school finds a single origin in sub-Saharan Africa for Homo sapiens sapiens, who subsequently colonized the other continents, while the "Candelabra" school argues that Homo erectus evolved independently into Homo sapiens in Asia and possibly Europe. Some of this material appears in Michael E. Brown's The Search for Eve ( LJ 2/1/90), but Fagan's book is far more concise, authoritative, and articulate. Readers with some background in paleontology will find this book very rewarding.
- Beth Clewis, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community Coll. Lib., Richmond, Va.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; 1St Edition edition (November 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500050570
• ISBN-13: 978-0500050576
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #716,476 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good story, science, conclusions, November 30, 2003

By	Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Brian Fagan is more than fair. In this interesting and at the same time informative work he continually offers multiple answers to questions. Did we become human in Africa and then undertake the journey or did we develop independently? How and why did they travel? Why were the Neandertals so late in populating Europe despite its closeness.

The author is, if anything, open-minded, giving all sides to an argument. He beings with a discussion of the mythical "Eve" and who she might have been and where she might have been from. He then discusses the evolutionary aspects and the paleontological finings. One interesting chapter concerned the populating of Asia. The job is made all the more difficult because of the discovery of very ancient man in such places as China and Indonesia who were not homo sapiens.

A discussion of the peopling of the Americas follows with the obvious conclusion (based on dentistry) that Native Americans are descended from notheastern Asians. the book contains several illustrations and charts that add to the story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dispersion of modern humans, November 26, 2000

By	Howard Schneider (Thornhill, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

Excellent, easy-to-read book about how modern humans dispersed and populated our world. Tracks human colonists to Australia, across the bitter Russian steppe to Siberia and Americas, etc.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STILL A VALID, SOLID STUDY, September 22, 2006

By	D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I read this one when it was first published. It was good then. I recently gave it a reread...it still is. Fagan has given us a pretty good look at the peopling of the world as we understand it today. There have been some recent discoveries that may or may not change the views in this work, but overall it is still a solid bit of writing. These recent discoveries deal with time lines for the most part and little effect the author's work. This is a pleasing read, easy to understand and rather captivating. Like any good work of this nature, it leaves many questions unanswered, and that is as it should be. The book does make you think and that is probably one of its greatest strengths. Recommend this one highly.