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david611's review against another edition
5.0
6-stars
[NOTE: I like to provide a 6-star rating to a book when it has been able to keep me in a state of amazement almost continuously for at least 80% of its content.]
A terrific book on evolution from the vast spectrum of creatures on this planet. Truly, a lot of information has been provided. Can be a bit heavy to people who may not be from a scientific academic background. Almost every topic that I read in the book kept me in a state of awe while I learnt new things. The book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to get mesmerized by stuff that exists on Planet Earth itself! :)
HEAVILY RECOMMENDED!!
[NOTE: I like to provide a 6-star rating to a book when it has been able to keep me in a state of amazement almost continuously for at least 80% of its content.]
A terrific book on evolution from the vast spectrum of creatures on this planet. Truly, a lot of information has been provided. Can be a bit heavy to people who may not be from a scientific academic background. Almost every topic that I read in the book kept me in a state of awe while I learnt new things. The book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to get mesmerized by stuff that exists on Planet Earth itself! :)
HEAVILY RECOMMENDED!!
overheat4600's review against another edition
4.0
This book traces the evolution of humans back through to the earliest ancestor of all modern life. There are a few weird tangents, but I liked it overall. It's interesting to see how close humans are to other animals (it's closer than one expects).
ggmay's review against another edition
informative
reflective
4.75
99% of this book is absolutely wonderful. As someone who loves evolutionary biology, this book was everything l could have hoped for. There is also a minimum amount of Dawkins’ politics in this book, for which I was very grateful.
professor_x's review against another edition
5.0
Richard Dawkins does a wonderful job at leading the reader on a grand pilgrimage throughout the eons, introducing you to our great evolutionary ancestors. He starts the journey working backwards, beginning with Homo Sapiens and then the earliest bipedal apes like Homo Habilis, then ending with the earliest replicating life, the one that would've started it all billions of years ago. Unfortunately, it didn't leave any fossils behind (soft-body creatures tend not to sadly but it has happened at a site in China) but if we work the molecular clock backwards we can deduce that somewhere in the 'primordial soup' a molecule began to copy itself, and it was really good at it.
As we meet the different pilgrims Dawkins explains how evolution shaped life in the most exciting and unusual ways. Some creatures on our planet function in the most ridiculous ways. I don't wish to spoil these parts but it is awe-inspiring for sure.
This was a fun and truly educating read for me. I learned so much about the different kinds of life that inhabit our planet. Human beings are just one tiny branch in the grand tree of life. We have only been here for a second in geological time, a drop in the bucket. The Ancestor's Tale is a humbling experience.
As we meet the different pilgrims Dawkins explains how evolution shaped life in the most exciting and unusual ways. Some creatures on our planet function in the most ridiculous ways. I don't wish to spoil these parts but it is awe-inspiring for sure.
This was a fun and truly educating read for me. I learned so much about the different kinds of life that inhabit our planet. Human beings are just one tiny branch in the grand tree of life. We have only been here for a second in geological time, a drop in the bucket. The Ancestor's Tale is a humbling experience.
selket16's review against another edition
5.0
A further explanation of evolution from Dawkins, told in his standard, easy-to-follow, engaging manner.
otherwyrld's review against another edition
4.0
I approached a book of this size and scope with some trepidation (seriously, you could kill someone if you hit them over the head with the hardback edition), how could this possibly cover the whole history of life on Earth. I also note that I have had issues in the past with the authors writing style, which can run to the overly verbose to my taste, as well as the huge hype over his anti religion stand that tends to get a lot more publicity than his actual books do.
So, on the whole this monumental work succeeds admirably, notwithstanding my above mentioned misgivings. This book takes us on a journey from our most recent ancestors backwards to meet shared ancestors (or concestors as the author describes them) along the way, a la [b:The Canterbury Tales|2696|The Canterbury Tales|Geoffrey Chaucer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1261208589s/2696.jpg|986234], with the ultimate goal being the beginnings of life itself. Along the way the author tells numerous tales in the same way as [a:Geoffrey Chaucer|1838|Geoffrey Chaucer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202588994p2/1838.jpg] did to illustrate various points. In some ways these are both the best and the worst parts of the book, as this is where the authors writing style flourishes the most. The more straightforward descriptions of the species/genus (etc) that we encounter are easier to read though often quite dry and highly technical.
There is a large prologue which looks at the history of hominids before it heads to the first rendezvous with Chimpanzees, then Gorillas, Orangutan and the rest of the primates in turn. This section alone takes up a third of the book, and mammals as a whole takes up half. This leaves little room for the rest of the species, with only insects taking up a large section in the rest of the book. Plants are particularly sidelined, which is a shame because it makes the book rather lopsided though I can understand racing through some sections because there really is very little to say about them. It did make the latter third of the book drag a little bit though and I slogged through to the end.
The author wisely keeps his religious digs to a minimum, though he can't resist it the whole time. I can't really talk about the co-author as his voice doesn't really come through that much. The book has some nice colour plates to illustrate some of the species discussed, but the line illustrations leave a bit to be desired. mostly because they were shrunk too much to fit into the paperback edition. The overall idea of a fractal design for the various rendezvous' was a nice touch, and there is an extensive bibliography if you want to explore further.
So, on the whole this monumental work succeeds admirably, notwithstanding my above mentioned misgivings. This book takes us on a journey from our most recent ancestors backwards to meet shared ancestors (or concestors as the author describes them) along the way, a la [b:The Canterbury Tales|2696|The Canterbury Tales|Geoffrey Chaucer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1261208589s/2696.jpg|986234], with the ultimate goal being the beginnings of life itself. Along the way the author tells numerous tales in the same way as [a:Geoffrey Chaucer|1838|Geoffrey Chaucer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202588994p2/1838.jpg] did to illustrate various points. In some ways these are both the best and the worst parts of the book, as this is where the authors writing style flourishes the most. The more straightforward descriptions of the species/genus (etc) that we encounter are easier to read though often quite dry and highly technical.
There is a large prologue which looks at the history of hominids before it heads to the first rendezvous with Chimpanzees, then Gorillas, Orangutan and the rest of the primates in turn. This section alone takes up a third of the book, and mammals as a whole takes up half. This leaves little room for the rest of the species, with only insects taking up a large section in the rest of the book. Plants are particularly sidelined, which is a shame because it makes the book rather lopsided though I can understand racing through some sections because there really is very little to say about them. It did make the latter third of the book drag a little bit though and I slogged through to the end.
The author wisely keeps his religious digs to a minimum, though he can't resist it the whole time. I can't really talk about the co-author as his voice doesn't really come through that much. The book has some nice colour plates to illustrate some of the species discussed, but the line illustrations leave a bit to be desired. mostly because they were shrunk too much to fit into the paperback edition. The overall idea of a fractal design for the various rendezvous' was a nice touch, and there is an extensive bibliography if you want to explore further.
miklosha's review against another edition
5.0
Evolution is amazingly elegant as both a scientific theory and a subject to read about. Dawkins has no problem taking you with him through history, chronicling the diversity and unity of all living (and dead) species in an easy fashion.
He gets a bad reputation but if there's anybody who can get me excited about science, its him.
He gets a bad reputation but if there's anybody who can get me excited about science, its him.