cover image The Illustrated History of Humankind: Human Origins and History to 10,000 B.C.

The Illustrated History of Humankind: Human Origins and History to 10,000 B.C.

. HarperOne, $40 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-06-250265-0

This survey of human origins and prehistory weds 350 color photographs and graphics to short, popularly written essays by 28 international scientists who piece together a momentous tale of human beginnings, adaptation and survival. Current controversies such as who our direct ancestors were, when language began and whether humans first appeared in Africa (the consensus here is that they did) are aired, if sometimes perfunctorily. Chapters also delve into the flowering of European cave art, Paleoindian cultures of North America, the settlement of ancient Australia and the Pacific, and early Arctic cultures. As the first entry in a five-volume ``The Illustrated History of Humankind'' series assembled by Manhattan's American Museum of Natural History, this is a stunning achievement and a book to treasure. Thomas is a curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History; Burenhult is a Swedish archeologist. 30,000 first printing; $70,000 ad/promo (Nov.)