Evolution - by Douglas Palmer (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Evolution" recreates the 3.5 billion-year story of life on Earth in stunning detail through vivid full-color illustrations and graphics, the latest scientific information, and hundreds of photographs--a beautifully detailed panorama of communities from microbes to humankind that have lived on the planet's continents and in its oceans.

Book Synopsis

Evolution recreates the 3.5-billion-year story of life on Earth in stunning detail through vivid full-color illustrations and graphics, the latest scientific information, and hundreds of photographs. At the heart of the book is an astonishing, beautifully detailed panorama by renowned illustrator Peter Barrett that, in 100 double-page site reconstructions, offers a freeze-frame view of the communities--from microbes to humankind--that have lived on our planet's continents and in its oceans. These groundbreaking artworks, based on the most recent findings at some of the most famous fossil sites around the world, are paired with an authoritative and highly informative text written for a wide audience of readers. A landmark project, published to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of his book On the Origin of Species, Evolution has been produced in association with the Natural History Museum in London, one of the most important centers of evolution research in the world.The volume includes an index of the hundreds of species shown in the illustrations, introductory articles on evolution, and many other features, making it a must-have reference for all homes, schools, and libraries.

From the Back Cover

Palmer's scholarship is up to date and the text passages are highly appropriate. He has a sense for a good story and good science as well. This book is a prodigious effort, not least in the artwork, but also in the assembly of photos and illustrations, and of course the text.--Kevin Padian, University of California, Berkeley

Review Quotes

"Evolution is a good book . . . . You get a large book filled with lots of color and lots of detail."-- "Fossil News" (9/30/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"Useful and engaging work."-- "Reference & Research Book News / Scitech Book News" (8/17/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"An exciting record of life on earth."-- "Booklist" (12/1/2009 12:00:00 AM)

"If time machines were real, this would be the book to carry on nature hikes into the distant past."-- "Natural History" (12/1/2009 12:00:00 AM)

"Overwhelming scope and depth. If not for yourself, and if not merely for the bizarrely reasonable price, I seriously recommend seeding the library."--Carl Mehling "American Paleontologist" (12/1/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"Stunning . . a wonderful tribute 150 years after Darwin published his seminal work."-- "Wildlife Activist" (6/20/2011 12:00:00 AM)

"This beautiful volume is worthy of any collector's coffee table."-- "Library Journal" (11/1/2009 12:00:00 AM)

"This book is up to date and includes . . . current paleontological and systematic knowledge, all of it accurate and correct."--Michael J. Benton "Bioscience" (9/1/2010 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Douglas Palmer teaches at Cambridge University and is the author of many books, including Earth: The Definitive Visual Guide to our Planet, The Origins of Man: An Illustrated History of Human Evolution, and The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life. His articles appear regularly in Science, BBC Wildlife, and New Scientist. Peter Barrett is a natural history illustrator, painter, graphic designer, and children's book author.