Enjoy fast, FREE delivery, exclusive deals and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Thursday, May 18 on orders shipped by Amazon over $25

Or fastest delivery Tuesday, May 16. Order within 18 hrs 52 mins

Select delivery location

In Stock

[{"displayPrice":"$17.19","priceAmount":17.19,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"17","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"19","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"PxjncUnleFfl2fW%2FTVDDM%2Bx360f%2BODVYpJYPc%2FihgN7HRmxA%2BR4nJaITrGfwHSnl%2Bp2dIsSuBkeKOFeJuCqay9PEtEtCywBbtoaS6Q7I6vFmt7wFLIBl9lxvxLgJ5%2FABljFfK8RLPzE%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$10.97","priceAmount":10.97,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"97","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"PxjncUnleFfl2fW%2FTVDDM%2Bx360f%2BODVYvqHp0SN6O84LN2DSyHmxFPZ5%2FitdUcKVjmEA%2F8AKwRAVHMRyRIyIKYN%2FrEPtSicYuPHpU6ueYtIeQVQFUOTD0Bwsmm%2Byh1nKvr5QnxgJzboQaGl2rxCHiGiKMqy%2FJfzxNYpuQ1NeCFeWzCYE6H%2BLPK6CYcWrENmS","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]

$$17.19 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Payment

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Details

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Thursday, May 18 on orders shipped by Amazon over $25

Or fastest delivery Tuesday, May 16. Order within 11 hrs 43 mins

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Sterling Creek Books

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$13.59
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: indoobestsellers

Added

Not added

$13.83
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: Carbenmadness Books

Added

Not added

$16.34
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: 311dvds

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 5 images

Follow the Author

Bryan Sykes

The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry Paperback – May 17, 2002

by Bryan Sykes (Author)

4.5 1,590 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$24.75

$19.95

$1.50

Paperback

"Please retry"

$17.19

$12.01

$2.94

Audio CD, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$27.29

—

Purchase options and add-ons

The national bestseller that reveals how we are descended from seven prehistoric women.

In 1994 Bryan Sykes was called in as an expert to examine the frozen remains of a man trapped in glacial ice in northern Italy for over 5000 years―the Ice Man. Sykes succeeded in extracting DNA from the Ice Man, but even more important, writes Science News, was his "ability to directly link that DNA to Europeans living today." In this groundbreaking book, Sykes reveals how the identification of a particular strand of DNA that passes unbroken through the maternal line allows scientists to trace our genetic makeup all the way back to prehistoric times―to seven primeval women, the "seven daughters of Eve."

illustrated and includes a map

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

May 17, 2002
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
ISBN-10

0393323145
ISBN-13

978-0393323146
See all details

Frequently bought together

The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry

$17.19

Get it as soon as Thursday, May 18

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland

$15.25

Get it as soon as Thursday, May 18

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

$13.09

Get it May 24 - Jun 1

In stock.

Usually ships within 4 to 5 days.

Ships from and sold by indoobestsellers.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Lowest Pricein this set of products
Bryan Sykes
251
Paperback
$13.09
Most purchasedin this set of products
David Reich
2,548
Paperback
$15.99
Highest ratedin this set of products
Blaine T. Bettinger
1,570
Paperback
$20.49
This item:
Bryan Sykes
1,590
Paperback
$17.19
Bryan Sykes
878
Paperback
$15.25
Bryan Sykes
114
Paperback
$23.95
Bryan Sykes
215
Paperback
$16.12
Jean Manco
584
Paperback
$15.24
Bryan Sykes
94
Paperback
$15.25
Adam Rutherford
1,712
Paperback
34 offers from $3.16
Martin Jones
180
Paperback
$19.99

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A lovely, rollicking book, direct and clear.... [A] fascinating glimpse into anthropology in the era of the genome."
― Wall Street Journal

"Sykes recounts his tale of discovery with the drama it warrants...gripping."
― New York Times Book Review

"Scientifically accurate and understandable to the layperson.... [The Seven Daughters of Eve] will be recognized as an important work, bringing molecular anthropology to a mass audience."
― Nature

"A natural storyteller, [Sykes] relates the history of developing genetics up to contemporary times as the DNA of genes is decoded.... A riveting account showing how archeological evidence and molecular biology findings complement one another in the challenge to unearth our past and our beginnings."
― Choice

"Sykes has solved some of the hottest debates about human origins."
― Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Bryan Sykes, professor of human genetics at Oxford University, pioneered the use of DNA in exploring the human past. He is the author of Saxons, Vikings, and Celts and the New York Times bestseller The Seven Daughters of Eve.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (May 17, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393323145
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393323146
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #172,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #34 in Physical Anthropology (Books)
- #114 in Genetics (Books)
- #171 in General Anthropology

Customer Reviews:
4.5 1,590 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Bryan Sykes

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Bryan Sykes is professor of human genetics at Oxford University. His company, Oxford Ancestors, traces human genetic backgrounds. Sykes’s books include the New York Times best-selling The Seven Daughters of Eve.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

1,590 global ratings

5 star		70%
4 star		21%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Nun ya

A groundbreaking science, with a good explanation

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

I was fascinated with the idea of actually genetically tracing human origins, and snapped this book up at my local library (1997) in the "New Books" section.
Now in 2023, you can mail your spit to any number of websites to get your mitochondrial DNA patterned, but Oxford and Dr. Bill Sykes were the first, and developed the technology. They also were the first to start mapping global cultures and geographic sites, and compiling the genetic anomalies they found into a huge database. Unfortunately, Dr. Sykes died some years ago and I don't know where that database went, hopefully to some open lab, and not one using the data for profit.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Sykes constructs his portraits by weaving in the knowledge from multiple disciplines like archaeology, geology

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

Bryan Sykes is one of the world's leading genetic anthropologist, working with DNA identification and comparison to understand the biological history of the human race. He has been part of a growing worldwide coordinated effort in DNA gathering and comparison, and worked with various other specialists to reconstruct the migration and cultural portraits of humans.

Since 2000, our understanding has accelerated and skyrocketed into a burgeoning, fairly coherent and exciting body of knowledge about human prehistory and the genetic character of modern populations. Sykes is a skilled storyteller and analyst, resulting in a well-crafted true tale of who we are and how we got to where we are in the world today, and how the innermost being of our every individual cell carries the story in our genes!

The ongoing DNA comparisons all over the world began to fill out a picture of the kinship of all modern humans and their migrations all over the world. In 2001, Brian Sykes reported on his DNA studies in Europe and the Polynesian Islands and related, with careful comparisons to the studies by others on Hawaii and the Americas.

In reporting his comprehensive an extensive DNA reconstruction for the people of Europe, Sykes detailed his DNA findings and presented a delightful historical and cultural history of Europe comparing the DNA reconstruction for Europe with related findings from Archaeology, paleoanthropology, and especially the lifestyle of each era. Important for this was the movement of agriculture across the world and its arrival in Europe.

As his comparisons for Europe progressed, collecting or comparing samples from all over the UK locales, Sykes actually found a modern Irish woman who had the exact same mtDNA sequence as Ötzi, the 5000-year-old Alps Ice Man. The Ice man, found in 1991, was a mummified man found in a melting Alps glacier. This ancient European had been preserved by a glacial freeze and was determined to be 5200 or 5300 years old, determined by DNA study of grains in his leather bag carrying his tools and other paraphernalia.

Similar information from pollen found in or on Ötzi providing additional insights into Ötzi's historical period. The viable DNA recovered from the Ice Man, with related findings from various disciplines of study and investigation reconstructed Ötzi's diet and likely family history. These insights into Ötzi's life and times shed additional light on Sykes' study of the origins and migrations of the streams of indigenous settlement and the much later movement of agriculture into Europe.

The exciting upshot of this particular part of Sykes' study and reconstruction was the discovery of a modern current Irish woman with the same exact mitochondrial DNA sequence as the Ice Man!

After analyzing the DNA patterns of thousands of subjects all across Europe, Sykes realized they all fell into a pattern of 7 groups, thus deriving form only 7 ancestral women for about 95% of the population of current Europe. These he dubs the Seven Daughters of Eve. After recounting the saga of the investigations, the puzzles, the disappointments and the breakthroughs that finally led to the final schema explaining the genetic relationship of thousand so Europeans, Sykes rounds out the story by providing a fictionalized account of the life of these seven women and their families.

Sykes constructs his portraits by weaving in the knowledge from multiple disciplines like archaeology, geology, animal and plant DNA comparisons, and the toolsets associated with various eras of prehistory and history, including the advent of agriculture and its move into Europe. He outlines the movement of the human race across the world millennia by millennia to people all the continents.

You will find this a fascinating novelesque scientific saga that is our story, the human story, with particular attention to how all these factors came together in the population of the continent of Europe.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

bob

Good idea

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 2, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book arrived in great shape and was quite interesting, gives one a lot to think about.

Helpful

Norbert Haupt

This Changed the Way I Think about Humanity

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

There are seven individual women, who lived between 10,000 years ago and 45,000 years ago between the Middle East and various areas of Europe, who are the direct ancestors of 95% of all European people alive today. Yes, exactly seven women. I am European, so I am likely the direct descendent of one of those seven individuals.

The author Bryan Sykes is a professor of human genetics at the University of Oxford. He has done pioneering work in genetics, specializing in studying mitochondrial DNA. One of the striking attributes is that the mitochondrial DNA is not passed on by males, only by females. Therefore, my personal mitochondrial DNA can be studied and compared with that of other contemporaries. When Sykes did this, he discovered that all modern Europeans pretty much belonged to one of only seven “groups” or “clans” as he calls them. Studying mutation frequency and the base mitochondrial DNA, coupled with the anthropological record, he was able to determine that there were seven specific women that are the mothers of all Europeans.

He then traced further back into our African roots and found one single woman, who lived about 150,000 years ago in Africa, who is the mother of all human beings alive today. He calls her fittingly Mitochondrial Eve.

Sykes writes The Seven Daughters of Eve for the non-scientist, but he goes through great pains to describe his research, the steps he went through to come to his conclusions, and the various scientific hurdles he had to jump. The book reads like a detective story, and I had trouble putting it down. After he makes his scientific points, the muses about the lives of the seven women. How might they have lived, what were the conditions of their lives like, how did they spend their days?

A number of negative reviews challenge details in Sykes' conclusions, and the way he builds his "case" in this book. I found his excursion into Polynesia very helpful, because he used the simpler scenarios there as a vehicle to introduce me (who is not a biologist or geneticist) to the subject. After the Polynesia story, I was ready for Europe.

I also enjoyed reading his fictional musings about what the lives of the seven women may have been like very helpful. I haven't studied anthropology, and I felt like he was sort of holding my hand and showing me what he speculated. It gave me visuals to work with.

The roots of our human existence, our history and our unique humanness became alive for me as I read this book. Many times I was caught in reveries, dreaming about the lives of my ancestors. I was overwhelmed by the immense time periods that have elapsed, and how very unlikely our human existence actually is. 45,000 years represents about 2,000 generations. I know my grandmother. That’s three generations. However, my grandmother’s DNA comes from one of the seven daughters of Eve, 2,000 generations ago.

The book may not work for scientists. It's not a textbook. But I don't believe that's what he tried to write here. I wanted to popularize the subject of mitochondrial DNA to laymen, like me. And that's exactly what he did.

The Seven Daughters of Eve inspired me on many levels and has enriched my life. I will never think about humanity the same way again.

57 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Koriel Tannhauser

The Seven Daughters Of Eve

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 4, 2012

Verified Purchase

The author (a world leading authority on DNA) gives a first-hand account of his research into the "gene" that passes from generation to generation (through the maternal line), allowing us to track our genetic ancestors from thousands years ago (don't worry -> the large part of the book is dedicated to presenting genetic science in a language that a simple laymen can actually understand).

In the book he also discusses the change of humans from a nomadic hunter-gatherer society, to an established farming and animal-domestication, short history of "mechanism of inheritance", different blood types and mitochondrial DNA (fascinating chapter), history of Romanovs executed by Bolsheviks and identification of remains (another great reading there), history of Polynesians and captain Cook, history of first Europeans and many others. At the end he is identifying 7 major genetic clusters among the Europeans (over 95% of native Europeans fits into one of those groups) or put it differently: 7 clans with one "clan mother" in each of them. He also identifies the location of the origin of each of these groups (great chapter 14).

In a way there is nothing shocking in that book , but is a great insight into one of the most important discoveries of our time (it should be also obvious for anybody at this point, that we are descendants of Cro-Magnon and not Neanderthal - curiously both of which lived pretty much next to each other at some point in time). It is truly a fascinating book describing an amazing research into "history of the human race" (and all that from a man who actually did it).

The book has 23 chapters, and a very small index. I wish there was also an additional Bibliography, but I can understand why author didn't include it (as it is simply an account of "his" discovery, not a scientific book). Read it if you can. I'm sure you will learn something new here.

2 people found this helpful

K H

Very interesting book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 29, 2013

Verified Purchase

I chose it, because I knew it was a big bestseller,
and the reviews said that Bryan is a very good
writer, who knows how to make his subjects interesting.
When I saw that the book begins with the story of
how he extracted Ötzi the Iceman's DNA, I knew that
this was the book I wanted to read !

I liked the fact that the book was written as a kind of
autobiography of his research adventures. The inclusion
of an account of his conflict with coworkers may have
stepped on some toes, but his account does look honest and fair,
and for future history books it is important that one can also
learn about circumstances that surround great discoveries.

I learned a few things too. For example that
* the alphabetic classification system for mtDNA is due to Antonio Torroni
* it was the hunters of the Paleolithic that had created the main body of the modern European gene pool.
* mtDNA has only 16,5oo bases, whereas the Y-chromosome has 6o million.
* There is only ca. one mutation in twenty thousand years down a single maternal line.

Even if the book was written in 2001, which is a long time ago for a field of research
that is developing so fast, I think it is important to "begin with the beginning" and obtain
a fuller view, than what you can expect from later summaries.

4 people found this helpful

Tony Jones

Well written and thought provoking in many ways

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 22, 2007

Verified Purchase

Having been aware of this book for a few years, I finally bought a copy to take on a train journey. Needless to say I was very pleased for a number of reasons.

Like other reviewers the sheer elegance of the central idea of being (90% likely for Europeans) descended from one of seven women is compelling. the science is built up fairly simply (I did O level biology a long time ago!) and the way the theory of mitochondrial inheritance grows from the chance experiences of the team is a good read.

The writing style is also very accessible and did not turn me off from the book at all.

I had to pause and think hard in a couple of places, and would love the opportunity to understand some of the fine detail (why did the Eve's have two daughters each still gets me thinking).

I was also surprised by the insight into academia and the in-fighting that goes in which threatened to bury theory more than once. Although only told from one side, it came across as quite scary that the rightness of the idea was less important than the reputation of others in the scientific world. I am left wondering how much good science gets discarded by the challenge of surviving the peer review process and the personalities therein. On the other hand one could argue that anything that becomes accepted science has been well challenged and stands up to scrutiny so is better.

Anyway, if you ever wondered about where your mother's mother's mother's.....mother came from, read this book!

10 people found this helpful

SheenaM

The Seven Daughters of Eve

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 22, 2011

Verified Purchase

This book was recommended to me during a discussion about feeling more comfortable among some groups of people rather than others. I really enjoyed it, it is all about the scientific experiments that discovered Mitochondrial D.N.A. It is really easy to read and is more like a novel than a scientific product, it is also quite amusing to read of the rivalry of the different groups of scientists. It explains that we have all descended from seven distinct women, who lived in the thousands of years since the last ice age, and they can tell this by our Mitochondrial D.N.A which is only passed mother to daughter. In saying that, it means that we are possibly more comfortable with those people who come from the same group as ourselves, and as there are apparently only seven groups we have a lot of relatives.The book explains how one of the study group had the same D.N.A as a prehistoric man found in Cheddar Gorge, and how the D.N.A was extracted from those prehistoric bones. Bryan Sykes writes very enthusiastically and I have re-read this book several times.

3 people found this helpful

Savvy Gran

Riveting and humbling

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 18, 2021

Verified Purchase

I now understand a lot more about DNA and genetics! A writer who can cover his subject in an engaging and fascinating way, never forgetting what is at the heart if his research. Not figures or data, but real living people. We really are all links in the chain of humanity.

See all reviews

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers	6pm Score deals on fashion brands	AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Sell on Amazon Start a Selling Account

Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	Amazon Fresh Groceries & More Right To Your Door	AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally	Home Services Experienced Pros Happiness Guarantee	Amazon Ignite Sell your original Digital Educational Resources	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data	ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics	DPReview Digital Photography	Fabric Sewing, Quilting & Knitting

Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Prime Video Direct Video Distribution Made Easy

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Warehouse Great Deals on Quality Used Products	Whole Foods Market America’s Healthiest Grocery Store	Woot! Deals and Shenanigans	Zappos Shoes & Clothing	Ring Smart Home Security Systems

eero WiFi Stream 4K Video in Every Room	Blink Smart Security for Every Home	Neighbors App Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts	Amazon Subscription Boxes Top subscription boxes – right to your door	PillPack Pharmacy Simplified	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust

Amazon Prime includes:

Buy new: $17.19$17.19 FREE delivery: Thursday, May 18 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used: $10.97

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry Paperback – May 17, 2002

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

What do customers buy after viewing this item?

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Bryan Sykes

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$17.19

FREE delivery: Thursday, May 18 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Ships from: Amazon.com

Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used:

$10.97