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Evolution & Natural Selection

Adaptation and Natural Selection: A Critique of Some Current Evolutionary Thought


by George C. Williams

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

An argument for the significance of natural selection at the level of the individual organism. (NAT18, $30.95)

Alfred Russel Wallace, A Life

Alfred Russel Wallace, A Life


by Peter Raby

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A re-evaluation of the man who, along with Charles Darwin, reinvented the way we look at the world with his paradigm-shattering paper on natural selection. Raby is an appreciative, lively biographer who captures the tremendous spirit and energy of Wallace. (MSA15, $28.95)

Ancestral Passions, The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankind's Beginnings

Ancestral Passions, The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankind's Beginnings


by Virginia Morell

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 640 PAGES

A biography of the Leakey family, documenting their discoveries and their vast contributions to the field of paleontology. The Leakeys have been instrumental in tracing human origins to East Africa. (EAF76, $38.95)

The Beak of the Finch

The Beak of the Finch


by Jonathan Weiner

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 332 PAGES

This Pulitzer Prize-winning work is an accessible look at the modern debate on the mode and rhythm of evolution, using the story of Peter and Rosemary Grant and their field work on Daphne Major as an example. (GPS08, $16.00)

Becoming Human, Evolution and Human Uniqueness

Becoming Human, Evolution and Human Uniqueness


by Ian Tattersall

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 258 PAGES

Ian Tattersall provides a wide-ranging tour of human origins and culture from the point of view of anthropology. (NAT45, $15.95)

Bones of Contention, Controversies in the Search for Human Origins

Bones of Contention, Controversies in the Search for Human Origins


by Roger Lewin

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 366 PAGES

Lewin, a science writer who has worked with Richard Leakey, offers an engaging account of the issues, debates and personalities in paleoanthropology. (ATP05, $30.00)

The Causes of Evolution


by John S. Haldane

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 222 PAGES

The 1932 classic of science about population biology and evolution. (NAT17, $27.95)

Charles Darwin, The Power of Place

Charles Darwin, The Power of Place


by Janet Browne

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 624 PAGES

The second half of Browne's magisterial history, full of insight into Victorian science. In this big, engrossing volume she follows the fate of Darwin and his ideas, from the return of the voyage of the Beagle until his death. (GBR375, $30.95)

The Common but Less Frequent Loon and Other Essays


by Keith Stewart Thomson

  • SCIENCE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 186 PAGES

Selected essays about biodiversity, evolution and the scientific life. (NAT59, $22.00)

Darwin and the Barnacle, the Story of One Tiny Creature and History's Most Spectacular Scientific Breakthrough

Darwin and the Barnacle, the Story of One Tiny Creature and History's Most Spectacular Scientific Breakthrough


by Rebecca Stott

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

Darwin devoted eight years to the perplexing pedunculated cirripedes, setting the groundwork for his ideas about evolution through natural selection. (NAT65, $19.95)

Darwin and the General Reader: The Reception of Darwin's Theory of Evolution in the British Periodical Press, 1859-1872


by Alvar Ellegard

  • HISTORY
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 394 PAGES

Ellegard analyzes the impact of Darwin's theory of evolution during the first dozen years after the publication of the Origin of Species, drawing on over 100 British newspapers and literary and science periodicals. (NAT25, $35.00)

Darwin and the Science of Evolution

Darwin and the Science of Evolution


by Patrick Tort

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES
  • FAMILY

A pocket biography and social history of Darwin in the excellent Discoveries series featuring hundreds of archival photographs and a synopsis of Darwin's life and ideas. (GPS54, $12.95)

Darwin for Beginners

Darwin for Beginners


by Jonathan Miller

  • HISTORY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

The man and his ideas, presented in graphic cartoon style by the talented Jonathan Miller. (NAT21, $14.00)

Darwin's Armada, Four Voyages and the Battle for the Theory of Evolution

Darwin's Armada, Four Voyages and the Battle for the Theory of Evolution


by Iain McCalman

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

McCalman writes winningly of the lives, times and travels of Joseph Hooker, Thomas Huxley and Alfred Wallace. All three younger men, important in the history of science, were inspired by Darwin and, like him, set out to explore the world: Huxley aboard the Rattlesnake in Australia and New Guinea; Wallace in the Amazon and throughout Southeast Asia; and Darwin's good friend Hooker, later director of Kew Gardens, was a naturalist aboard the Erebus and Terror on James Clark Ross's voyage to the Antarctic. (NAT181, $18.95)

Darwin's Ghost, The Origin of Species Updated

Darwin's Ghost, The Origin of Species Updated


by Steve Jones

  • SCIENCE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 377 PAGES

Jones uses the original chapter headings and structure of Darwin's 1859 bestseller to brilliantly and clearly illuminate our current understanding of evolutionary science. (NAT33, $17.00)

Darwin, Discovering the Tree of Life

Darwin, Discovering the Tree of Life


by Niles Eldredge

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 288 PAGES

A companion book to an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History (November 19, 2005 - May 29, 2006), this richly illustrated celebration of Darwin, his life and ideas, brings together manuscripts, artifacts and materials collected by Darwin aboard the Beage with curator Eldredge's illuminating essays on natural selection. (NAT82, $35.00)

Darwin, The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist


by Adrian Desmond | James Moore

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 808 PAGES

An influential, vividly written biography of Darwin by expert James Moore. (GEN13, $39.95)

The Darwinian Revolution, Science Red in Tooth and Claw

The Darwinian Revolution, Science Red in Tooth and Claw


by Michael Ruse

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 346 PAGES

A classic of modern evolutionary thought. (HSC09, $27.50)

Darwinism and Its Discontents

Darwinism and Its Discontents


by Michael Ruse

  • SCIENCE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 326 PAGES

Ruse lays out the facts of evolution along with the mechanism, challenges, science and philosophy in this articulate appreciation and overview of "the single best idea anyone has ever had." (SCI164, $22.00)

The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex


by Charles Darwin

  • SCIENCE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 864 PAGES

Darwin's great work on human evolution, published to much controversy in 1871. This Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction by Adrian Desmond. (NAT87, $18.00)

Ecology and Evolution of Darwin's Finches

Ecology and Evolution of Darwin's Finches


by Peter R. Grant | Jonathan Weiner

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 492 PAGES
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

This is a scholarly, readable account by Peter Grant, who has devoted his life's work to the evolution and ecology of these curious Galapagos birds. (GPS44, $41.00)

Ecology, A Pocket Guide

Ecology, A Pocket Guide


by Ernest Callenbach

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

The updated, 10th-anniversary edition of this handy reference has new sections on biotechnology, global warming and other essential topics. (NAT157, $16.95)

Endless Forms Most Beautiful, The New Science of Evo Devo and The Making of the Animal Kingdom


by Sean B. Carroll

  • SCIENCE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

Evolutionary developmental biology explained by a leader in the field. (SCI177, $16.95)

Ever Since Darwin, Reflections in Natural History

Ever Since Darwin, Reflections in Natural History


by Stephen Jay Gould

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

In these delightful essays, enormously well-informed, thoughtful and a joy to read, Gould explicates the wonders of evolution. His essay on natural selection is one of the clearest statements of how evolution works that we've encountered. (NAT15, $15.95)

Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, And Sexuality in Nature And People


by Joan Roughgarden

  • SCIENCE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 484 PAGES

Citing as evidence the sexual diversity found among birds, reptiles, fish and mammals, Roughgarden argues against traditionally held concepts of gender in the natural world and challenges the biases of conventional biology. (SCI206, $29.95)

Evolution's Workshop

Evolution's Workshop


by Edward J. Larson

  • SCIENCE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A vivid history of the Galapagos and the role of the islands as a crucible of evolutionary ideas, written by a Pulitzer Prize winner. Along with Darwin, it covers the discovery of the islands, the visits of Hancock and Beebe, the influence of the United States during WWII and the establishment of the national park. (GPS50, $16.95)

Evolution, The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory

Evolution, The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory


by Edward Larson

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

A clearheaded, engrossing brief history of ideas about evolution from the 18th century to the present by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. (NAT64, $14.95)

Evolution, The Triumph of an Idea


by Carl Zimmer

  • SCIENCE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 487 PAGES

An excellent, concise overview of the history and concepts of evolution. (SCI155, $15.99)

Extinct Humans

Extinct Humans


by Ian Tattersall | Jeffrey Schwartz

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

An illustrated overview of the origin of our species, rewarding for both the scholar and interested general reader, which explores the history of our species in this masterly synthesis of archaeological discovery. (NAT46, $30.00)

From Lucy to Language

From Lucy to Language


by Donald Johanson | Blake Edgar

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 288 PAGES

This strikingly illustrated survey features 200 color photographs of nearly all the early hominid remains, mostly at actual size. With concise and clear accompanying essays by Johanson. (EAF85, $65.00)

From So Simple a Beginning, Darwin's Four Great Books

From So Simple a Beginning, Darwin's Four Great Books


by Charles Darwin | E.O. Wilson

  • SCIENCE
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 1504 PAGES

A beautifully presented omnibus edition, in a slipcase, of The Voyage of the Beagle, On the Origin of Species, Descent of Man, and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals, each with an introductory essay by E.O. Wilson. (NAT83, $39.95)

Headless Males Make Great Lovers and Other Unusual Natural Histories

Headless Males Make Great Lovers and Other Unusual Natural Histories


by Marty Crump

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 199 PAGES

A collection of essays celebrating the many interesting and just plain weird ways of evolution. Crump is an engaging writer, conveying both the wonder and science of sexual selection, raising young, avoiding predators, feeding and communication. Her examples are outstanding. (NAT90, $14.00)

The Human Career, Human Biological and Cultural Origins

The Human Career, Human Biological and Cultural Origins


by Richard G. Klein

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 810 PAGES

An overview of human evolution intended as a sourcebook and text for undergraduate courses in paleoanthrolopology, brought up to date for this revised third edition. (AFR74, $75.00)

Lucy's Legacy, The Quest for Human Origins

Lucy's Legacy, The Quest for Human Origins


by Donald Johanson

  • SCIENCE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 309 PAGES

Paleoanthropologist Johanson explores the breakthrough findings since the 'Lucy' skeleton was unearthed in his follow up to Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind. (ATP21, $15.00)

Lucy's Legacy, The Quest for Human Origins

Lucy's Legacy, The Quest for Human Origins


by Donald Johanson

  • SCIENCE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 309 PAGES

Paleoanthropologist Johanson explores the breakthrough findings since the 'Lucy' skeleton was unearthed in his follow up to Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind. (ATP21, $15.00)

Lucy, The Beginnings of Humankind

Lucy, The Beginnings of Humankind


by Maitland Armstrong Edey | Donald Johanson

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 409 PAGES

The original, influential account of the thrilling discovery of Lucy in 1974 and the impact of the discovery on ideas about human evolution. (ATP06, $17.00)

The Making of the Fittest, DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution


by Sean B. Carroll

  • SCIENCE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Carroll shows, in elegant detail, how changes in DNA demonstrate evolution by natural selection. (SCI176, $17.95)

Monkeyluv, and Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals

Monkeyluv, and Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals


by Robert M. Sapolsky

  • SCIENCE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 20224 PAGES

Sapolsky tackles big questions of what makes us what we are with humor and deft prose in this collection of 18 short magazine articles. (ATP17, $16.00)

The Neanderthal Enigma, Solving the Mystery of Modern Human Origins


by James Shreeve

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 369 PAGES
  • CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
  • >

A well-considered discussion of the debate over the disappearance of the Neanderthal. (ATP01, $15.00)

On Natural Selection

On Natural Selection


by Charles Darwin

  • SCIENCE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

Darwin's original essay on evolution presented in tandem with a paper by Alfred Russel Wallace to the Linnean Society on July 1, 1858. (NAT84, $11.00)

Reluctant Mr. Darwin, An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution

Reluctant Mr. Darwin, An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution


by David Quammen

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

Quammen hits just the right note in this sprightly tale of the man, his ideas and their impact, weaving well-chosen anecdote, solid science and travel. (NAT94, $14.95)

The Structure of Evolutionary Theory


by Stephen Jay Gould

  • SCIENCE
  • 2002
  • HARD COVER
  • 1464 PAGES

The final effort of the late Stephen Jay Gould, a monumental effort to summarize evolutionary thought. (NAT60, $64.50)

The Theory of Island Biogeography


by E.O. Wilson | Robert MacArthur

  • SCIENCE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Wilson and MacArthur's landmark essay on the ecology and evolution of island species is not just for tropical ecologists, it's also fascinating for the general reader. (SCI203, $59.95)

Time, Love, Memory:  A Great Biologist and His Search for the Origins of Behavior

Time, Love, Memory: A Great Biologist and His Search for the Origins of Behavior


by Jonathan Weiner

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 199 PAGES

An engrossing scientific biography of Seymour Benzer, the fruit-fly geneticist who has done much to further our understanding of molecular biology. (HSC12, $17.00)

Why Darwin Matters, The Case Against Intelligent Design


by Michael Shermer

  • SCIENCE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

A primer on evolution by natural selection. (SCI178, $14.99)

 

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.