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.
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 |
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
|