Changing the Image of Mankind

Neandertals

'An important book. . . . remarkably complete. For anyone interested in the subject of human origins, seldom has it been possible to find out so much between the covers of a popular work. ' Richard Leakey

An important book... remarkably complete. For anyone interested in the subject of human origins, seldom has it been possible to find out so much between the covers of a popular work.

A masterful combination of careful scholarship and clever narrative... authoritative and delightful to read.

Wonderful reading, bringing vivacity to dusty boneyards... Impossible to put down.

Erik Trinkaus, Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Physical Anthropology at Washington University, is considered by many to be the world's most influential scholar of Neandertal biology and evolution. Trinkaus' research is concerned with the evolution of our genus as a background to recent human diversity. In this, he has focused on the paleoanthropology of late archaic and early modern humans, emphasizing biological reflections of the nature, degree and patterning of the behavioral shifts between these two groups of Pleistocene humans. This research includes considerations of the "origins of modern humans" debate, interpretations of the archeological record, and patterns of recent human anatomical variation. In 1999, Trinkaus and an international team of scientists documented that Neandertals roamed central Europe as recently as 28,000 years ago -- the latest date ever recorded for Neandertal fossils worldwide. The team's findings could force other scientists to rethink theories of Neandertal extinction, intelligence and contributions to the human gene pool. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Trinkaus is frequently quoted in the popular media.

In 1856 - just as Darwin was completing ORIGIN OF SPECIES - the fossilized remains of a stocky, powerful human-like creature were discovered in a cave in the Neander Valley in Germany. Opinions about Neandertal Man have veered wildly ever since: he was not human at all, but closer to ape, he was human but not ancient; he was a cannibal, a shuffling, depraved halfwit; an evolutionary dead-end, wiped out by more efficient and intelligent Cro-Magnons. The controversy continues to this day. Erik Trinkaus - the world's leading authority on Neandertals - and anthropologist Pat Shipman vividly tell the whole story, from the discovery of the bones to the latest research. Theirs is a brilliant first-hand account of the search for man's beginnings and out of a particular man - dead for 40, 000 years - who began a revolution that changed the world.

Pat Shipman

'A riveting portrait of an extraordinary couple...A remarkably compelling tale of heroic love and epic endeavours'

Florence Szász was a child in Eastern Europe when her family was slaughtered during the Hungarian revolution. After the war, she was kidnapped from a refugee camp in the Ottoman Empire and sold to be raised for the harem. In 1859, age fourteen, she stood before a room full of men and waited to be auctioned to the highest bidder. But slavery was not to be her destiny. One of the witnesses was moved by an immediate, overpowering empathy for the helpless young woman. His name was Samuel Baker, an eminent English adventurer who braved extraordinary perils to aid her escape. Ultimately they would wed and venture together into some of the most inaccessible regions on Earth.<br/>
At this tender age, Florence Baker had already seen and experienced more than most women of the Victorian era. But the greatest adventures were still before her. By the side of the man who had set her free, she forged ahead into literally uncharted territory. Together, they confronted disease, starvation, and hostile tribesman, surviving the cruel ravages of beasts and nature in a glorious attempt to unravel a mysterious and magnificent enigma called Africa. <br/>
<br/>
To the Heart of the Nile brings to vivid life the times and great achievements of a singular explorer, a woman of unparalleled courage and spirit who helped redefine her world. It is a breathtaking adventure, brimming with hair-raising rescues, impossible quests, danger, discovery, catastrophe, mutiny, and uncompromising love - all the more remarkable because the story is true.

To The Heart Of The Nile

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'A riveting portrait of an extraordinary couple...A remarkably compelling tale of heroic love and epic endeavours'

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