The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution

688 pages

English language

Published May 10, 2005

ISBN:: 9780618619160
Goodreads:: 17977

(1 review)

The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life is a science book by Richard Dawkins and Yan Wong that delves into the topic of evolution. The book adopts a unique approach, retracing the path of humans in reverse chronological order through evolutionary history. Along the way, it introduces readers to various species, referred to as humanity's cousins, as they converge on shared common ancestors. Drawing on scientific principles and research, "The Ancestor's Tale" offers an accessible and thought-provoking exploration of life's origins and the intricate relationships that connect all living beings.

8 editions

Aneel reviewed The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins

Review of "The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The library insisted on taking this back before I was finished with it.

I was expecting more emphasis on genetics, but this turns out to be a survey of Zoology, structured around evolutionary divergences. It starts with the modern creatures most closely related to humans and proceeds to more distant relatives. In addition to the overall survey, Dawkins introduces short "Tales" about related topics that a particular organism exemplifies. These are filled with interesting facts about Anthropology, Zoology, and Genetics. At each stage, Dawkins talks about what common ancestors of the relatives might have been like. I got as far as the insects before I had to return it.

I found The Selfish Gene more compelling because it made a very coherent argument, rather than surveying a broad territory, but there's a lot of fascinating trivia and some interesting ideas in this as well. I will probably attempt to reclaim …

The library insisted on taking this back before I was finished with it.

I was expecting more emphasis on genetics, but this turns out to be a survey of Zoology, structured around evolutionary divergences. It starts with the modern creatures most closely related to humans and proceeds to more distant relatives. In addition to the overall survey, Dawkins introduces short "Tales" about related topics that a particular organism exemplifies. These are filled with interesting facts about Anthropology, Zoology, and Genetics. At each stage, Dawkins talks about what common ancestors of the relatives might have been like. I got as far as the insects before I had to return it.

I found The Selfish Gene more compelling because it made a very coherent argument, rather than surveying a broad territory, but there's a lot of fascinating trivia and some interesting ideas in this as well. I will probably attempt to reclaim it from the library in a few months.