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| The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution | 
| Author: Richard Dawkins
Publisher: Mariner Books
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy Used: $2.85
You Save: $14.10 (83%)
New (36) Collectible (1) from $5.76
Avg. Customer Rating:  179 reviews
Sales Rank: 3438
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 688
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 1.6
ISBN: 061861916X
Dewey Decimal Number: 576.8
EAN: 9780618619160
ASIN: 061861916X
Publication Date: September 2, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Used - Good; Shows moderate wear. Will be shipped promptly!
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| Customer Reviews:
 The perfect gift/get! October 6, 2008
I've always loved Dawkins books, so when my son had this on his wish list at birthday time, even though I'd already spent all of my alloted birthday money (and more!), I had to add this one!
I'm glad I did. He's told me how much he enjoyed it, and that, afterall, is the whole point of a gift, giving something the receiver will enjoy.
Of course, now I want the book, but it will have to wait a while. I still have 5 birthdays and Christmas to buy for before there's unspoken for cash in my wallet!
 Not without its flaws, but a must-read for anyone interested in the subject September 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"The Ancestor's Tale," Richard Dawkins's engaging look into the reverse-chronology of evolution, is based upon Chaucer's "Cantebury Tales;" we get various chapters revolving around certain organisms (or, rather, the earliest common ancestor of the modern-day organism), most chapters featuring a "tale" that deals with some aspect of evolution.
"Tale" is not perfect, though it is helped out by the fact that Dawkins readily admits his book isn't perfect. If he's uncertain of who came first in his backward trek through time, he admits it. If there is something scientists are still unsure of, Dawkins doesn't throw an answer our way--he describes to us the problem, and how future scientists might unravel it. There are a few other flaws, however, inherent in his writing: he is often wordy (especially in the sections co-written with Yan Wong, some of which Dawkins even tells the casual reader to just skip), and his various invented phrases ("concestor" being the prominent one) become hard to follow. Then there is his needless political skewering; he goes off-topic frequently to talk about the (mainly American) political climate of today's world. He also makes his opinions about Creationists plain; he often goes out of his way to mock them, to the extent of deterring the reader (most of whom, we must assume, believe in evolution) from his points.
His snide remarks (and occasional wordiness) aside, Dawkins's "The Ancestor's Tale" is an enjoyable, thoroughly informative romp through evolution. It is an admitably-biased approach (evolution through a human perspective; it could just as easily have been told through that of an elephant, which even Dawkins admits would be interesting), but that is unavoidable; humans can only tell human stories. Taken as such, "The Ancestor's Tale" is a must-read for anyone with an interest in evolution, or scientific writing in general. It may be a bit more than the most casual reader can handle, but if you've done some general-science reading before (I'm not expert, believe me; hell, I'm an English major!), you are more than prepared. Strap yourselves in for a journey back to the beginning of life...you'll find quite a few surprises along the way, I guarantee you.
A great introduction to the science of Evolution September 16, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A lot has already been said about this book, and I just thought I would throw in my two cents!
This is a great book! This book is Dawkins' best book for the masses. If you're curious about how evolution actually works and exactly how we know evolution by natural selection works, this is a great introduction.
Dawkins has a clear and easy to read style of writing, and he keeps the pace brisk and entertaining!
A lot has been said about how Dawkins rants and how long the book is. First, Dawkins keeps his rants to a bare minimum, and most of them are funny asides in the footnotes, don't believe the hype!
Second, the length of the book: this book is over 600 pages long! But it's not long and rambling, considering the scope and breadth of what the author is trying to do here, this book is actually quite condensed and to the point. Dawkins manages to tell the story of human and primate evolution in about 100 pages, which is no mean feat. This chapter in itself could easily fill up volumes!
Given the episodic structure of this book, I could easily imagine it being adapted (pun intended) into a great Cosmos style TV series!
Evolutionary Biology August 26, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Great read for anyone interested in evolutionary biology - from an academic or a curiosity standpoint.
 BEE'S UNDER HIS BONNET. August 7, 2008
1 out of 8 found this review helpful
The book is a survey of recent revelations about hominids. It's poorly written and has a cobbled-together quality to it. Do you recall Don McLean's AMERICAN PIE hit? This book reminds me of the follow-up 'analysis' record that was made to explain McLean's lyrics. Dawkins' chief contribution seems to be commentary about what others are doing...or did. If his writing was better I'd give it 4 stars.
Dawkins also seems troubled by how modern hominids act. That is, his writing is punctuated with PC eruptions. The eruptions remind me of the bugs and snakes that bother old drunks trying to be sober. I especially disagree with Dawkins' contention that 'primitive' societies are the qualitative equal of 'advanced' societies. Really? I'm compelled to wonder if Dawkins' would entrust his life to shamans and witch-doctors and "EGAD" priests.
Aye! That's the rub, Dawkins! How can a scientist and atheist esteem faith-based 'medicine' and astrology and forest spirits? I wonder how he'd react to cannibals!
Franz Boaz and his acolyte Margaret Mead peddled the cultural
equality snake-oil elixir at every county fair for many years. That is, they did before the Nazis came along and forced people to reconsider the equality thesis. The Amish and Nazis are not equals. Dawkins is getting old and likely forgotten World War 2.
In my humble opinion THE SELFISH GENE was his masterpiece, and he's been searching for another Holy Grail since that time.
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