Ape . Man

One of the areas of human knowledge which has expanded fastest over the last few decades is our awareness of the complexities of human evolution. Ape·Man is a useful summary of the current state of play dealing with such important questions as the divergence of early hominids from the other apes and the final confrontation of modern humans and their Neanderthal cousins. It is a fair-minded handling of some of the crucial debates--at what point, say, is it legitimate to talk of humans and human ancestors starting to decorate their possessions, say, and when did language and the complex innovations in hunting it makes possible start to be a factor? Inventive portrayals of the life of early humans as they wander out of the mists of time alternate with coherent and accessible accounts of fossil evidence, DNA studies and archaeology; this is both an intellectually satisfying series and an emotionally charged one. --Roz Kaveney