THE HUMAN REVOLUTION, FROM APE TO ARTIST

 Desmond Collins, BCA 1976.

This book brings together the mass of evidence we now have for man’s original break with the animal world and for his millions of years of slow evolution into hunter and toolmaker.

Desmond Collins assembles the results of recent research in all branches of pre-history, guided by the newest techniques of radiocarbon dating and pollen analysis. He gives substance to the primeval men whose fossil bones betray the course of our development from the apes.

Geological reconstruction and estimates of former fluctuations of climate suggest whether it was tropical forest or encroaching ice that these men had to contend with and whether it was hippo or mammoth whose conditions they shared.

It becomes apparent just what a revolutionary force it must have been that eventually brought ice-age man his mastery of stone tool-making, his control of fire, and his extraordinary artistic skill.

Our knowledge has increased rapidly in the 150 years since Darwin finally convinced modern man of his animal ancestry. Controversy abounds however. And whether Neanderthal man has a place with Homo Sapiens among our direct forbears is one dispute that Desmond Collins looks into in detail.

 Apart from extremely light shelf wear to the jacket, together with some minor rubs at the top leading tip, and very slight light tanning to the edges of some pages, both the book and the dust jacket are in good condition, the pages are clean and tightly bound. The light tanning is so slight as to be hardly noticeable but must be mentioned in the cause of accuracy. There are 142 illustrations, 16 in full colour