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Book Reviews

In this book review area we introduce books that we found useful as resources or just interesting to read on the various topics that have been discussed on this website.

Our book list uses a code.

TR TR indicates our recommendation that this book is a useful Teacher Resource. These books can be used for research and planning.
CR CR indicates our recommendation of the book being suitable for student use in the classroom, that is, as a Classroom Resource. To get this recommendation a book has to be very readable and have good illustrations
HR Our last code of recommendation is HR. An HR book we recommend for Holiday Reading. This is an enjoyable, well written, leisure read for adults relating to the topics of evolution.

This site will develop over time with new resources being reviewed and added.

Book Reviews (in alphabetical order)

Conway Morris, S. (1998). The Crucible of Creation. Oxford University Press.
In this book, paleontologist Simon Conway Morris describes the marvellous finds of the Burgess Shale--a fantastically rich deposit of Cambrian fossils discovered in Western Canada
TR, HR
Cutler, A. (2003). The seashell on the mountain top. Heinemann, London.
Alan Cutler has written a biography of Nicolaus Steno, who lived during the later part of the 17th Century. Steno is credited as the first person to really provide an explanation for the presence of seashells in rocks that now form mountains. Something we may take for granted in modern times, but which, during the late 1600’s was quite a radical perspective. A most enjoyable read, particularly with respect to the links between science and religion.
HR
Erickson, J. (1992). An Introduction to Fossils and Minerals: Seeking clues to the Earth’s past. New York: Facts on File.
An introduction to a wide spectrum of information- covers the basics.
TR, CR
Fortey, R. (1998). Life - an unauthorised biography. Flamingo.
A great read about the last 400 million years of life on Earth.
TR, HR

 

Fortey, R. (2002). Fossils: The key to the past. London: The Natural History Museum.
Another good resource from the selection of the Natural History Museum with great photos, very readable.
TR, CR
Gould, J. and Gould, C. (Eds.) (1989). Life at the Edge - Readings from Scientific American Magazine. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company
Good, concise reviews regarding the evolution of the first life forms on the Earth, the earliest cells, the first animals and other articles that provide an excellent, broad overview of life's ability to survive in a variety of harsh environments.

HR

 

Gould, J. and Gould, C. (1997). Sexual Selection. Scientific American Library, New York

This book is a really interestingly written account of sexual reproduction and discusses why species choose to do it. It looks at plants and animals and spans the whole range from bacteria to humans. It is written from an evolutionary point of view with many great examples.

TR

CR

HR

Gould, S. (1993). The Book of Life. London: Hutchinson Ebury
This book is a comprehensive and largely up-to-date overview of the origins and evolution of life on earth, from the emergence of bacteria 4 billion years ago to that of Homo sapiens in recent geological time. Written by several scientists, the text proceeds chronologically, giving an in-depth account of the fossil record. Although there have been many advances made particularly in genetics since its publication it is still a good read.
TR, CR
Haines, T. (1999). Walking with dinosaurs. London: BBC Worldwide Ltd.
This book accompanies the BBC series and includes a lot of interesting facts about the life of the dinosaurs.
TR, CR
Haines, T. (2001). Walking with beasts. London: BBC Worldwide Ltd.
The sequel to” Walking with dinosaurs” focusing on what happened to life on Earth after the dinosaurs went extinct. It includes again lots of great photographs and good information.
TR, CR
Hayward, B. (1990). Trilobites Dinosaurs and Moa Bones. Auckland, New Zealand: The Bush Press,
This is an introduction into New Zealand fossils and locations where to find them. It is written for a general audience, includes lots of photographs and maps. It includes very good descriptions of where to see and find fossils. A great book!
TR, CR
Hodder A.P.W with Hume A., Jenks A. and Peters J. (1999). Earthworks Book A: Planets beyond Earth. User Friendly Resource Enterprises Ltd.
A teacher resource based on the curriculum requirements, full of great activities. Introduction to the Big Bang theory and solar system.
TR
Hodder A.P.W. with Hume A., Jenks A. and Peters J. (1999). Earthworks Book B: Reconstructing Planet Earth; User Friendly Resource Enterprises Ltd.
A teacher resource based on the curriculum requirements, full of great activities. Introduction to continental drift, plate tectonics, plus rocks and structures.
TR
Hodder A.P.W with Hume A., Jenks A. and Peters J. (1999). Earthworks Book C: Making and Breaking Planet Earth. User Friendly Resource Enterprises Ltd.
A teacher resource based on the curriculum requirements, full of great activities. Introduction to volcanism, geothermal systems and earthquakes.
TR
Hodder A.P.W. with Hume A., Jenks A. and Peters J. (1999). Earthworks Book D: The Materials of Planet Earth. User Friendly Resource Enterprises Ltd.
A teacher resource based on the curriculum requirements, full of great activities. Introduction to different rock types and how they are used.
TR

Johanson, D. and Edey, M. (1990). Lucy, the beginnings of humankind. Simon& Schuster, Touchstone, New York.

A most enjoyable and very interesting read, written by the scientist who found Lucy in Ethiopia in 1974. It gives a behind the scenes account of paleoanthropology and in the last chapter discusses very interestingly how humankind became bipedal. Highly recommended.

HR
Jones S. Martin R. and Pilbeam D. (Eds) (1994). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution. Cambridge University Press.
A collaborative introduction on the human species that places modern humans squarely in evolutionary perspective and treats evolution itself as a continuing genetic process.
TR, CR
Jones, S. (2000). Almost like a whale. Anchor: Transworld Publishers.
A very readable and interesting introduction to the science of Darwin's "The Origin of Species".
HR
Monks, N. and Palmer, P. (2002). Ammonites. London: The Natural History Museum.
Read all about ammonites in this great little book, with good photographs and illustrations.
TR, CR

Moorehead, A. (1978). Darwin and the Beagle. The Rainbird Publishing Group Limited, London.

This book provides a historical and very human account of Darwin’s travel and discoveries. It is well written and an interesting read to learn more about the man who  contributed so greatly to our view of the world.

HR
Park, R. (2000). Voodoo Science. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press.
This book should be compulsory for all science students. It is a great read, clear and entertaining and examines how rational thinking is challenged by fraudulent science, the media and politicians.
HR
Press, F. and Siever, R. (1994). Understanding Earth, New York: W. H. Freeman and Company.
A comprehensive book covering all the major Earth Science concepts. Each chapter includes a key for terms and concepts as well as exercises and thought questions.
TR, CR
Stace, G. and Eagle, M. (2001). Yes! We had dinosaurs. New Zealand: Penguin Books.
A nice little handbook, aimed for younger audiences with references for each geological time span and how it impacted on New Zealand. Lots of New Zealand fossil locations.
CR
Thornton, J. (1997). The Reed Field Guide to New Zealand Geology. Auckland: Reed Books.
A great book to use while travelling New Zealand with great description of where to find type sections and fossils. It is written for the general public and includes a geological time line and an introduction into general geology.
TR

HR

Tudge, C. (2000). The variety of life. Oxford University Press, New York.

At first this book seems daunting with its small print. It is not meant to be a scholarly research book, but a quite comprehensive summary of all living beings. Good to use for some school research on classification without having to go through volumes of books. Includes illustrations.

TR, CR
White, M. (1993). The nature of hidden worlds- animals and plants in prehistoric Australia and New Zealand. Auckland: Reed Books. This book tells the palaeo -history of Australia and New Zealand, although it focuses strongly on the Australian evolution and is sometimes thin on information about New Zealand, it is an interesting comparison. Some very nice maps and photographs. TR
Zimmer, C. (1999). At the Water's Edge - Fish with fingers, whales with legs. New York: Touchstone This book describes the journey of life's transformation focusing on the amphibians and whales, providing some excellent material on transitional fossils and also on the applications of phylogenetic analyses. HR

Other's Book Reviews

This is an interesting review of Darwin and Design: Does Evolution Have a Purpose? By Michael Ruse. (Harvard University Press, 2003) called Adaptive Glory by Daniel W. McShea



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