Encyclopedia of Evolution - Hardcover

 
9780195122008: Encyclopedia of Evolution

Synopsis

From the classic work of Darwin to current developments in such fields as psychology and economics, evolutionary biology is an increasingly powerful tool for understanding the natural world. Here in two volumes is a comprehensive, accessible, and authoritative guide to what we know about evolutionary biology, from the origins of species to the selfish gene and beyond.
The Encyclopedia of Evolution covers the essentials of evolutionary biology in 370 original articles written by leading experts. The articles cover basic concepts and theories; models, methods, and findings; schools of thought; current controversies; biographies; and more.
The Encyclopedia covers evolutionary thought in genetics, animal behavior, and every area of the life sciences, as well as in anthropology, psychology, linguistics, sociology, economics, medicine, philosophy, and other fields. There are hundreds of tables, charts, grtaphs, maps and other illustrations, bibliographies, cross-references and index.
Designed for students and teachers in both high schools and colleges and universities, and scholars and scientists in the natural and social sciences, the Encyclopedia of Evolution will be the first point of access to this growing body of knowledge.

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About the Author

Mark Pagel is at University of Reading.

Reviews

Given the many recent advances in biology and genetics, a comprehensive new reference work on evolution has been greatly needed. Edited by Pagel (evolutionary biology, Univ. of Reading, U.K.), this impressive new work fills that gap nicely. Its coverage is much broader than that of previous references, which mainly focused on human evolution; it treats not only theory and the whole range of life forms but also a wide variety of other areas, including developmental biology, social behavior, consciousness, evolution of disease, systematics, population biology, complexity theory, and even art in prehistory. Some biographical articles are also included. The list of advisors and contributors reads like a who's who of biology, including, among others, Stephen Jay Gould, Jane Goodall, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, and John Maynard Smith. Each article is signed and features a selected bibliography. Broad articles serve the novice as an introduction to their fields, but there are highly technical articles for experts as well; the high quality of writing overall makes difficult concepts easier to understand. This is an excellent resource that can also be browsed enjoyably by anyone interested in biology. It belongs in all academic and large public libraries. Marit MacArthur Taylor, Univ. of Colorado Lib., Denver
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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