If you are looking for a survey of mammal species, a sort of wildlife guide, "Beast of Eden" is probably not the book for you. While author David Rains Wallace does offer interesting insight into a variety of different animals, this isn't a detailed zoological guide. Rather it is a survey of the development of theories of mammal evolution, which is interesting in its own right, but not entirely clear from the title.
That said Wallace has painted an amazing portrait, and I use this metaphor purposely. He has used Rudolph Zallinger's "Age of Mammals" mural from Yale's Peabody Museum to frame his discussion. As someone who grew up in New Haven and spent countless visits to the museum marveling at the mural and its associated specimens, I couldn't have been more delighted by this decision.
This approach serves a double purpose, the obvious one being that the mural's rather sophisticated visual portrayal of mammal evolution provides a nice counterpoint to Wallace's discussion. However, it also is inextricably tied the overall discussion as O.C. Marsh was in many ways the founder of North American paleontology and also the head of paleontology at Yale and the Peabody museum. His so called "bone-wars" with Edgar Cope of The American Museum of Natural History (among other locales) drove the development of numerous theories of mammal evolution, and while their rivalry was childish at best and the theater of the absurd at worst, it provided a dynamic environment which drove a host of brilliant paleontologists to their chosen field.
These bone-wars, and Darwin's theory of evolution provide the jumping off point for a survey of mammal evolution and it's associated theories. From neo-creationist arguments to Gould's punctuated equilibrium, Wallace provides a step by step evaluation of the rise and ebb of various arguments, and quite interestingly, links them into a whole. All too often, scientific theories are treated as emerging fully formed, as if from a vacuum, and while that occasionally occurs, it is more the exception than the rule. What Wallace has created in "Beasts of Eden" is a history of the evolution of evolutionary theory. In effect, this is a tribute to all the minds who have contributed to our understanding of who we are.
The primary reason that he is successful in this endeavor is that he is able to link species studied by one era/scientist to another. For example, Marsh was a student of horse evolution, and Wallace is able to trace the growth of this field as different scientists add to the base he provided. From linear progressions of ever ascending species, to parallel lines of evolution to cladistic diagrams and genetic analysis, Wallace presents evolution as we understand it today by explaining the journey.
I should warn that while not a scientific article, Wallace makes free use of scientific terms and quotes from scholarly sources. While one hardly need be a PhD to absorb and appreciate this work, some grounding in the life sciences will definitely make "Beasts of Eden" a more accessible work.
As I said before, "Beasts of Eden" isn't what it at first appears to be, but if you can stick with it, it provides a fascinating history of mammal paleontology. If the history of science isn't you're cup of tea, this may not be up your alley, but the framework it provides for future explorations in mammal speciation makes it a worthy addition to your bookshelf.
Jake Mohlman
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Top reviews from other countries
Nick Candoros
Elegantly written � we miss the picture
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2005
