THE STORY OF OUR ANCESTORS

by May Edel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 22, 1955

An intelligent and well written survey of the development of mankind, from earliest mammalian forms to the present day, looks at our biological and anthropological history with a scholar's insight and a writer's liveliness. In all respects, it measures up to the standards of May Edel's Anthropology for Young People (1952, p. 301). Dramatically, the book begins with the important discovery of a human fossil jaw, made by a boy and a professor near Capetown in 1938. With the incident as illustrative of the kind of work being done to piece prehistoric man's history together, the author goes on to explain the fascinating steps in the work itself- how bones are recognized and studied in relation to the earth and from this data, how facts about our existence can be formulated. Clearly, she explains the principles of dating, the Piltdown forgery, Darwinism and natural selection, and the animals which are cousins to man. Then there is the slow process of development as man stood up, began to use thumb and brain and finally the things he made himself. Different kinds of early men- Javanese, Peking, Australopithecus, Neanderthal and Modern- are described in satisfying detail, and with notes about the incidents surrounding their discovery. For the interested at any age level, this is a rewarding book.

Pub Date: Aug. 22, 1955

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1955

Categories: NONFICTION