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goodkoopa's review against another edition
5.0
An excellently written masterpiece of joy. I read it twice.
pdougmc's review against another edition
5.0
Good read. If you need any convincing about the actuality of evolution, this book is for you. Although I was convinced about evolution before reading this book, reading this book enables a more complete understanding of the principles involved.
phantomwise's review against another edition
5.0
Of all the Dawkins books I've read, this is the best. It's a fantastic journey through evolution, all the way from our starting point of ourselves, and back through to the first protozoa and whatever was floating around in the pre-historic mush, collecting more and more fellow travelers as the book moves further back in time. It's a mammoth of a thing, but I was never bored, that's for sure.
needagoodbook's review against another edition
5.0
As ever from Dawkins, a fascinating read. A very interesting 'journey' littered with interesting real life examples of wonderment - it felt partly like a David Attenborough wildlife programme. A long book but worth it.
rodhilton's review against another edition
2.0
Richard Dawkins makes as much of a concession toward the notion of "evolution moving toward humanity" as he'll ever make in The Ancestor's Tale. While some argue that evolution has always been moving towards homo sapiens, Dawkins spends a chapter dispelling the myth, then concedes that looking at evolution as if that were true is still somewhat interesting.
The Ancestor's Tale is Dawkins doing something similar, in a way consistent with his science. He takes a pilgrimage back to the very first organisms, starting at human beings and working backwards, stopping at various points to examine our common ancestors with other organisms.
The book is interesting, though much less so than many of Dawkins's other books. Other books by Dawkins have made me view the natural world as majestic and amazing in a way that I never appreciated before reading his work. The Ancestor's Tale is a bit more factual, a bit more scientific than other books by Dawkins, and in a weird way lacks this property.
There were definitely some eye-opening moments, in particular Dawkins's rant about the curse of a brain that cannot see in gradual differences, but for the most part the book wasn't as enthralling as his other work.
I recommend it for fans of Dawkins, but I wouldn't start here.
The Ancestor's Tale is Dawkins doing something similar, in a way consistent with his science. He takes a pilgrimage back to the very first organisms, starting at human beings and working backwards, stopping at various points to examine our common ancestors with other organisms.
The book is interesting, though much less so than many of Dawkins's other books. Other books by Dawkins have made me view the natural world as majestic and amazing in a way that I never appreciated before reading his work. The Ancestor's Tale is a bit more factual, a bit more scientific than other books by Dawkins, and in a weird way lacks this property.
There were definitely some eye-opening moments, in particular Dawkins's rant about the curse of a brain that cannot see in gradual differences, but for the most part the book wasn't as enthralling as his other work.
I recommend it for fans of Dawkins, but I wouldn't start here.