“A Companion to Paleoanthropology provides a good solution, although the price may be prohibitive for use as a textbook.” (American Journal of Human Biology, 1 January 2014)
“As the fossil record and paleoanthropology as a whole have become increasingly complex, this volume will serve as a good introduction to the field that will provide structure and context for undergraduates and above. The chapters also provide sufficient depth to be useful to graduate students and faculty as a reference text. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.” (Choice, 1 August 2013)
“This collection of concise reviews of current research by an All-Star team of authors will be a valuable resource for students of paleoanthropology at all levels.”
– John G. Fleagle, Stony Brook University
“A Companion to Paleoanthropology brings new ideas to light on human evolution, brilliantly coordinated by David Begun. It provides an unparalleled account of all that is new in palaeoanthropology, and it is essential reading for students, teachers and researchers alike.”
– Peter Andrews, Natural History Museum, London
“This is a wonderful addition to the Companions series: focused but extensive and inclusive, with authoritative chapters by experts combining just the right amount of history and cutting-edge results. Suitable for advanced undergrad and grad-level course readings.”
– Eric Delson, City University of New York
From the Author
The goal of this book is to provide readers with an introduction to paleoanthropology,
but not just the evidence from the fossil record. My intention was to
put together chapters from leading experts working in paleoanthropology today
that would serve as a sort of “what paleoanthropologists do” primer. Not a
“paleoanthropology for dummies,” but a volume that reveals to a broad audience
exactly what paleoanthropologist do, how a diversity of disciplines inform
paleoanthropology and the degree to which paleoanthropology is a rich, multidisciplinary
endeavor. I hope this book goes a long way to answering the question
“how do they know that?” about primate and human evolution. Readers
will not find a plethora of references at the end of each chapter, but a list of key
sources of information. However, an internet search of any of these or the terms
in the index of this book will quickly bring a great deal of additional information
to the reader. There are other resources, especially journals, which provide
detailed information on the data of paleoanthropology. This book was conceived
as a source of information for people with an interest in human evolution. My
hope is that students at all university levels, other anthropologists and other
biologists will find this a useful and quick source of information on the state of
the art. Having read and edited all the chapters, and having learned a great deal
from them, I also hope that my colleagues, who, like me, focus on one area of
the field, will find chapters on other areas useful to them, as a refresher. Science
writers should find this a helpful source of information for background and fact
checking, and, finally, I really hope that other members of community of readers
of science at all levels will enjoy this book.
From the Back Cover
A Companion to Paleoanthropology presents a compendium of readings representing the state-of-the-art in our knowledge relating to the study of ancient humans as found in fossil hominid evidence. Contributions from top scholars in paleoanthropology and related fields offer accessible overviews of paleontological methods and research topics for established researchers, instructors, students, and non-professionals alike. The original essays define new trends and current interpretations of the paleoanthropological record. Chapters are organized into sections that survey the history and techniques of paleoanthropology, evaluate the fossil evidence and the current classification of hominids, and review the trends throughout ape and human evolution in cranial, postcranial and brain evolution
By presenting the latest findings and developments in the field, A Companion to Paleoanthropology represents an important contribution to our understanding of the current social discourse on human origins and evolution.
About the Author
David Begun is Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto. A paleoanthropologist with 30 years of experience in the analysis of fossil apes, Begun’s current research focuses on the relationships between European and African fossil and living great apes and the origin of the African apes and humans. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on that topic, and on the description and analysis of fossils from Europe, Asia, and Africa.
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