Dragon Bones: The Story of Peking Man

Rating:
Summary: Good social background, poor science
Review: As a science writer and paleoanthropologist, I was excited to see a new treatment of the Peking Man fossil discoveries, which are intriguing, important, and wonderfully mysterious. The author does a nice job of recounting the many familiar old stories about Peking Man and its tragic loss during the Japanese invasion of China, though I had hoped for new material or insights. She provides some useful background about political and social movements in China. Where she strikes out completely is in presenting the factual content of what we know about human evolution. Her account of the evolution of the human lineage from an apelike ancestor is not simply eccentric, it is downright fictional. She actually invents and names new groups of human ancestors (without evidence) that I have never heard ANY anthropologist discuss. I am horrified that anyone would think this a good introduction to human evolution.

Rating:
Summary: Innovative and Gripping
Review: Brilliant, I really enjoyed it. Written for easy reading and the story flows well. Not just the story of the paleantology but the personalities too. The story of the discovery of our past ond origins in the same league as Dava Sobel's Latitude and Micheal Allin's Zarafa.

Especially liked the final message which confirmed a suspicion which I've been harbouring for some years - what was the difference between H. erectus and H. sapiens? I was pleased to hear Penny suggest they are one and the same. It gets around the impossibility of how the whole species evolved planet wide in so brief a time.

What's next?

Rating:
Summary: An excellent general introduction to anthropology!
Review: Penny Van Oosterzee's, 'Dragon Bones : The Story of Peking Man' is one of the best books that I have read regarding this subject. 'Dragon Bones' is presented in an unpretentious and non-academic style that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Van Oosterzee also puts forth an interesting scenario for the missing bones of the Peking Man. So if you love adventure, mystery, or anthropology then I would highly recommend reading 'Dragon Bones'. This book would also make an excellent general introduction text for undergraduates taking their first anthropology class in college.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent general introduction to anthropology!
Review: Penny Van Oosterzee's, 'Dragon Bones : The Story of Peking Man' is one of the best books that I have read regarding this subject. 'Dragon Bones' is presented in an unpretentious and non-academic style that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Van Oosterzee also puts forth an interesting scenario for the missing bones of the Peking Man. So if you love adventure, mystery, or anthropology then I would highly recommend reading 'Dragon Bones'. This book would also make an excellent general introduction text for undergraduates taking their first anthropology class in college.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Story of Linking Humans to Apes
Review: This is the story of how human perspective shifted from the perspective of a literal reading of the Bible to pursuing the implications of Darwin's work in search of human origins. Darwin speculated that there would be a link between humans and apes. How was that link to be investigated?

Before Darwin, fossils were a curiosity rather than a source of scientific study. This wonderful book focuses on the activities that led to locating an important set of fossils (Peking Man) in China.

Unlike most such books, the perspective is quite varied. The author talks about how uneducated Chinese perceived fossils, how apothecaries used them to make medicines, what life as a human precursor might have been like in China, the task of finding the fossil sources, convincing scholars that this was significant, and the battle to save the fossils (unsuccessfully). The story-telling style is wonderful, so this reads more like an adventure novel (almost like Indiana Jones) rather than dry scientific history. The photographs are very helpful in expanding the reader's understanding of the subject.

The backdrop of a rapidly modernizing China going through foreign interference and civil wars is a powerful context for a fascinating pursuit of human knowledge. Overcome your disbelief stall that scholarship moves quickly and surely to accurate conclusions. The pathway is much more like two steps forward, one step backward, three steps sidewise, and then two steps diagonally. You will also enjoy the perspective of the other key prehuman fossils, their discovery, and what was learned from each.

Even if you have no interest in evolution or anthropology, you will find this book a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Story of Linking Humans to Apes
Review: This is the story of how human perspective shifted from the perspective of a literal reading of the Bible to pursuing the implications of Darwin's work in search of human origins. Darwin speculated that there would be a link between humans and apes. How was that link to be investigated?

Before Darwin, fossils were a curiosity rather than a source of scientific study. This wonderful book focuses on the activities that led to locating an important set of fossils (Peking Man) in China.

Unlike most such books, the perspective is quite varied. The author talks about how uneducated Chinese perceived fossils, how apothecaries used them to make medicines, what life as a human precursor might have been like in China, the task of finding the fossil sources, convincing scholars that this was significant, and the battle to save the fossils (unsuccessfully). The story-telling style is wonderful, so this reads more like an adventure novel (almost like Indiana Jones) rather than dry scientific history. The photographs are very helpful in expanding the reader's understanding of the subject.

The backdrop of a rapidly modernizing China going through foreign interference and civil wars is a powerful context for a fascinating pursuit of human knowledge. Overcome your disbelief stall that scholarship moves quickly and surely to accurate conclusions. The pathway is much more like two steps forward, one step backward, three steps sidewise, and then two steps diagonally. You will also enjoy the perspective of the other key prehuman fossils, their discovery, and what was learned from each.

Even if you have no interest in evolution or anthropology, you will find this book a great read.