Origins: The Search for Our Prehistoric Past

by Frank H. T. Rhodes Narrated by Derek Perkins

Overview

In Origins, Frank H. T. Rhodes explores the origin and evolution of living things, the changing environments in which they have developed, and the challenges we now face on an increasingly crowded and polluted planet. Rhodes argues that the future well-being of our burgeoning population depends in no small part on our understanding of life's past, its long and slow development, and its intricate interdependencies.

The book describes the nature of the search for prehistoric life, the significance of geologic time, the origin of life, the emergence and spread of flora and fauna, the evolution of primates, and the emergence of modern humans.

Origins is accessible enough for the layperson but also can be used as an entry-level text for students of evolution, paleontology, and geology.

Editorial Reviews

Warren D. Allmon

"In this compact and elegant volume, Frank H. T. Rhodes does far more than beautifully updating his classic 1962 book The Evolution of Life. He provides a new narrative of the history of life on Earth for a new set of generations. He covers familiar territory with a fresh and lyrical prose that reveals new insights into both species past and present and the people who have studied them. This is a perfect introduction by a virtuoso."

Michael Foote

"In Origins, an overview of the history of life on Earth for the nonspecialist reader, Frank H. T. Rhodes starts with origins and traces a winding path to human evolution. This book is a highly readable treatment of an important and interesting topic."

From the Publisher

"In this compact and elegant volume, Frank H. T. Rhodes does far more than beautifully updating his classic 1962 book The Evolution of Life. He provides a new narrative of the history of life on Earth for a new set of generations. He covers familiar territory with a fresh and lyrical prose that reveals new insights into both species past and present and the people who have studied them. This is a perfect introduction by a virtuoso."—Warren D. Allmon, Director, Paleontological Research Institution

"In Origins, an overview of the history of life on Earth for the nonspecialist reader, Frank H. T. Rhodes starts with origins and traces a winding path to human evolution. This book is a highly readable treatment of an important and interesting topic."—Michael Foote, University of Chicago

NOVEMBER 2016 - AudioFile

The evolution of ideas and the origin of life are both explored in Rhodes's audiobook, which Derek Perkins narrates in a scholarly tone and British accent. At first, people thought the fossils of mastodons and mammoths meant the ancient animals were still around somewhere. Eventually, that initial explanation gave way to catastrophism, the belief that some dramatic event wiped them all out. Perkins’s narration is successful, for the most part, but can bog down during discussions of subjects like the classifications of fish. Even in these chapters, interesting creatures such as the still-existing coelacanths can pop up. The Cornell University publication seems like a science text at times, a fact that Rhodes acknowledges at one point. Still, the coverage of ideas like the cultural impact of Darwinism are valuable. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169634976
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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