Self-Made Man: Human Evolution From Eden to Extinction?

We know prehistoric humans shaped tools and made fire. But evolutionary biologist Jonathan Kingdon thinks that our ancestors shaped us and that the human face, our racial differences, and our problematic relationship with nature are all self-made. Advance Praise for Jonathan Kingdon’s Self-Made Man "One of the most original and illuminating of books on human evolution. It gives an extraordinary feel for what it must have been like." —Professor Alison Jolly Princeton University "A marvelously researched and documented book, beautifully expressed and put together—a major achievement." —Elspeth Huxley "Every page provokes a new thought." —The Economist "Self-Made Man is the work of a man of an enlarged curiosity. It is a deeply personal, challenging, and important book." —New Scientist "Kingdon has written a stimulating and absorbing contribution to the debate about human evolution, broad in range and rich in detail." —New Statesman & Society

About the author JONATHAN KINGDON is Professor of Zoology at Oxford University and an internationally known expert on evolution. A graduate of both Oxford and London’s Royal College of Art, Mr. Kingdon is also a professional painter and sculptor. As a research scientist in primatology and evolutionary biology at Oxford and the CSIRO Tropical Forest Research Centre in Atherton, Australia, Mr. Kingdon is a regular visitor to Africa and the Middle East. The 1980 recipient of Britain’s Stamford Raffles Medal and the 1991 recipient of the Sir Peter Kent Conservation Book Prize, Jonathan Kingdon is the author of six previous books including East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa, Island Africa, and Arabian Mammals: A Natural History.