The importance of South America in the history of early man has been vastly neglected according to Mr. Beals and this survey of pre-Colombian geography, flora, the fauna and ethnic origins of this continent explores in refutation, and with a plea that scientists approach man's origins with minds free of chauvinism and prejudice. Here is the continent with its extremes of temperature, of terrain, and with its strong suggestions of autochthonic cultures; with its 500 major languages and thousands of dialects and its many societies of the pre-Spanish invasion (some of which still exist). Here too are the fabulous cultures of the highly artistic Chavins and, thousands of years later, of the Incas of Peru who produced marvels of engineering in their highways, irrigation systems and span bridges which are today still extraordinary. There is a minimum of technical language for all the detailed information; the book is very readable and the fascinating material contributes to the understanding of our sister continent.