Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: A Search for Who We Are - Hardcover

Carl Sagan; Ann Druyan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0394534816 ISBN 13: 9780394534817

Publisher: Random House, 1992

Synopsis

"Dazzling...A feast. Absorbing and elegantly written, it tells of theorigins of life on earth, describes its variety and charaacter, and culminates in a discussion of human nature and teh complex traces ofhumankind's evolutionary past...It is an amazing story masterfully told."
FINANCIAL TIMES (LONDON)
World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a ROOTS for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits--self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics--are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS is a triumph of popular science.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Carl Sagan's reputation is truly awesome (in the old sense of the word), and his writing is terrific. He won the Pulitzer prize; he hosted the Peabody & Emmy award-winning series Cosmos; and the book of the same title is the best-selling science book every published in the English language. His wife, Ann Druyan, collaborated with him on many projects.

Mr. Sagan made an immediate connection with a lot of people -- his books are written in such accessible language and with so much wit and intelligence that they have changed not only the way we look at science but also the way we look at life.

This book especially touched many people's lives -- mine included.

A. Krijgsman
Associate Managing Editor

About the Author:

Carl Sagan (1934-1996) was the Director of Cornell University’s Laboratory for Planetary Studies. He played a leading role in the American space program and was an adviser to NASA since its inception. He briefed the Apollo astronauts before their flights to the Moon, and was an experimenter on the Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Galileo expeditions to the planets. He helped solve the mysteries of the high temperatures of Venus (answer: massive greenhouse effect), the seasonal changes on Mars (answer: windblown dust), and the reddish haze of Titan (answer: complex organic molecules). For his work, Dr. Sagan received the NASA medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement, and the Pulitzer Prize for The Dragons of Eden. His 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage won the Emmy and Peabody awards. The National Science Foundation declared that his “research transformed planetary science... his gifts to mankind were infinite.”

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0394534816
• ISBN 13: 9780394534817
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 505