{"product_id":"beasts-of-eden-walking-whales-dawn-horses-and-other-enigmas-of-mammal-evolution-paperback","title":"Beasts of Eden: Walking Whales, Dawn Horses, and Other Enigmas of Mammal Evolution - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDavid Rains Wallace\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMammals first evolved at about the same time as dinosaurs, and their story is perhaps the more fascinating of the two-in part because it is also our own story. In this literate and entertaining book, eminent naturalist David Rains Wallace brings the saga of ancient mammals to a general audience for the first time. Using artist Rudolph Zallinger's majestic \u003ci\u003eThe Age of Mammals \u003c\/i\u003emural at the Peabody Museum as a frame for his narrative, Wallace deftly moves over varied terrain-drawing from history, science, evolutionary theory, and art history-to present a lively account of fossil discoveries and an overview of what those discoveries have revealed about early mammals and their evolution. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn these pages we encounter towering mammoths, tiny horses, giant-clawed ground sloths, whales with legs, uintatheres, zhelestids, and other exotic extinct creatures as well as the scientists who discovered and wondered about their remains. We meet such memorable figures as Georges Cuvier, Richard Owen, Edward D. Cope, George Gaylord Simpson, and Stephen Jay Gould and learn of their heated disputes, from Cuvier's and Owen's fights with early evolutionists to present controversies over the Late Cretaceous mass extinction. Wallace's own lifelong interest in evolution is reflected in the book's evocative and engaging style and in the personal experiences he expertly weaves into the tale, providing an altogether expansive perspective on what Darwin described as the \"grandeur\" of evolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBeasts of Eden \u003c\/i\u003eis a wondrous journey through the vanished worlds of extinct mammals. Exciting, insightful, and accurate, it is everything that good science writing should be.--Tim Flannery, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Eternal Frontier \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA compelling scientific adventure story.... Peopled with colorful and larger-than-life characters, this account of the history of paleontology dramatically demonstrates how the interactions between crude but charismatic fossil seekers, ascetic intellectuals, temperamental artists, and many others have forever changed the ways in which we view life's prehistoric beginnings.--Ian Tattersall, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey in the Mirror \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBeasts of Eden \u003c\/i\u003eis a true delight. Each page drips with the drama and passion of scientific pursuit. Wallace is a keen observer, a learned writer, and a great story teller--this is a must read!--Don Johanson, Director of the Institute of Human Origins\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBeasts of Eden \u003c\/i\u003eis a wondrous journey through the vanished worlds of extinct mammals. Exciting, insightful, and accurate, it is everything that good science writing should be.--Tim Flannery, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Eternal Frontier \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A compelling scientific adventure story.... Peopled with colorful and larger-than-life characters, this account of the history of paleontology dramatically demonstrates how the interactions between crude but charismatic fossil seekers, ascetic intellectuals, temperamental artists, and many others have forever changed the ways in which we view life's prehistoric beginnings.\"--Ian Tattersall, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey in the Mirror \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eBeasts of Eden \u003c\/i\u003eis a true delight. Each page drips with the drama and passion of scientific pursuit. Wallace is a keen observer, a learned writer, and a great story teller--this is a must read!\"--Don Johanson, Director of the Institute of Human Origins\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Rains Wallace \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of fifteen books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Klamath Knot: Explorations of Myth and Evolution \u003c\/i\u003e(Twentieth Anniversary Edition, California, 2003), winner of the John Burroughs Medal; \u003ci\u003eThe Bonehunter's Revenge: Dinosaurs, Greed, and the Greatest Scientific Feud of the Gilded Age \u003c\/i\u003e(1999); and \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey's Bridge: Mysteries of Evolution in Central America \u003c\/i\u003e(1997).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 368\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.91 x 8.72 x 6.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 13, 2005\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42133449965703,"sku":"9780520246843","price":52.11,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/201b54b5e2057eb29f39315bc8f51644.webp?v=1732634441","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/beasts-of-eden-walking-whales-dawn-horses-and-other-enigmas-of-mammal-evolution-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}