PREHISTORIC MAN

This is an account, uneven but frequently interesting, of what we know and what we guess about the life of ancient man. Occasionally dramatic, and often supported by plausible evidence, it tells of prehistoric man's gradual achievement of comfort and security through shelter, clothing, defensive weapons and a reliable food supply. The author, noted for his scientific paintings, accompanied several expeditions to ancient caves of France and Spain where some of the relics of early cavemen were discovered. His accounts of these expeditions, while full of chattiness and good humor, tend to get in the way of the more solid and interesting history of how Neanderthal Man, Cro-Magnon Man and others of our ancient forebears were first discovered, what types of living conditions they encountered and how they coped with them.