History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal (P.S.)

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Tiger by the Tail?
Another high quality Diamond
Better understanding our evolution - and our nature
I'm 98% chimp
Wonderful book by Diamond

The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal (P.S.)
Jared M. Diamond
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060845503
Release Date: 2006-01-03

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Jared Diamond states the theme of his book up-front: "How the human species changed, within a short time, from just another species of big mammal to a world conqueror; and how we acquired the capacity to reverse all that progress overnight." The Third Chimpanzee is, in many ways, a prequel to Diamond's prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel. While Guns examines "the fates of human societies," this work surveys the longer sweep of human evolution, from our origin as just another chimpanzee a few million years ago. Diamond writes:

It's obvious that humans are unlike all animals. It's also obvious that we're a species of big mammal down to the minutest details of our anatomy and our molecules. That contradiction is the most fascinating feature of the human species.

The chapters in The Third Chimpanzee on the oddities of human reproductive biology were later expanded in Why Is Sex Fun? Here, they're linked to Diamond's views of human psychology and history.

Diamond is officially a physiologist at UCLA medical school, but he's also one of the best birdwatchers in the world. The current scientific consensus that "primitive" humans created ecological catastrophes in the Pacific islands, Australia, and the New World owes a great deal to his fieldwork and insight. In Diamond's view, the current global ecological crisis isn't due to modern technology per se, but to basic weaknesses in human nature. But, he says, "I'm cautiously optimistic. If we will learn from our past that I have traced, our own future may yet prove brighter than that of the other two chimpanzees." --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

The Development of an Extraordinary Species

We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet -- having founded civilizations and religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and created breathtaking works of art -- while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic necessities of survival. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created such a divergence between evolutionary cousins? In this fascinating, provocative, passionate, funny, endlessly entertaining work, renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning author and scientist Jared Diamond explores how the extraordinary human animal, in a remarkably short time, developed the capacity to rule the world . . . and the means to irrevocably destroy it.

Customer Reviews:

Tiger by the Tail?.......2007-10-08

There's a lot to this very broad ranging and thoughtful book, some of which, but not all, seems intriguingly fresh and original. Jared Diamond takes off from the recently recognized biological fact that only about 1.6% of the entire human genome separates us from the chimpanzee, making that ape our nearest living relative. Of course, Diamond notes, there is quite an obvious gap between us and our closest relatives but it's a gap, he suggests, which is not nearly as great as we're likely to imagine from surface differences -- not least, perhaps, because a significant portion of the genetic differences between us and chimps is mere genetic "noise" with little or no implications for the creatures built to its blueprint.

For Diamond the obvious implication of this narrow genetic difference obliges us to reconsider ourselves, from the outside looking in, and examine what we are as we would examine any other creature on this planet. We must, he proposes, treat humanity as what it really is: a member of the animal world. Taking his own advice, Diamond proceeds to examine the history and development of man as a visitor from another planet might, as merely one species among many. What Diamond proceeds to describe for us is the appearance and evolution of an unusually successful, exceedingly voracious primate which has the propensity to devour its own environment if left unchecked. Diamond convincingly shows how humans may have developed characteristics which have their roots in, but are still unique and different from, anything found in the rest of the animal world. In the process he points out, repeatedly, how man's historic successes have resulted in loss for our fellow species, over and over again, as one after another is hunted to extinction with the advent of modern man beginning some 50,000 years ago. Nor is this limited to other species as Diamond notes for man has a propensity for hunting and killing his own along with other creatures.

Diamond's greatest concern, in the end, seems to be for the environment which he sees being eaten away everywhere man has appeared (by now roughly the entire planet, given mankind's ubiquitous success in the competitive game of evolution). As a self-described bird-watcher, he takes his lessons from the loss of bird species in New Guinea and other exotic locales where he has applied his skills and interests. He makes some good and fascinating observations along the way including: 1) his points about how our sexual characteristics would have evolved and might have contributed to our further evolution (reflecting the need for mates to bond long term), 2) how geographic factors might have influenced variation in civilizations' technological accomplishments in the course of human societal development (Africa and the Americas exist on a north-south axis, limiting the spread and cross-pollenization of agricultural technology among human groups, while Europe, the Middle East and Asia lie on an east-west axis), 3) how unwise modern governments and scientists may be in sending signals into outer space announcing our presence (since he concludes there's no reason to doubt the operation of evolutionary competition there, too), and 4) how the dynamic of human evolution seems to have placed us on a trajectory of inevitable self-destruction.

Diamond himself notes that in many cases he did not fully develop many of the ideas presented here, reserving that for subsequent books (Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed). His main goal in this one, besides outlining some of these ideas, seems to be to galvanize his readers to embrace his strong concerns for environmentalism. He repeatedly details the destruction of pristine ecological environments which follows on the appearance of man, from the earliest ages, when men may have speedily hunted the great mammals still preserved in the fossil record to extinction, to the era of European exploration only a few centuries ago when Europeans permanently destroyed the ecological systems they found on previously untrod oceanic islands. In the interim, he blames humans for destroying the majority of the creatures that have walked the Earth since man's first appearance and warns of worse to come.

In one interesting passage he recounts how a single development of a particular site for housing resulted in the destruction and loss of many species of small creatures found nowhere else on the planet, inviting us to imagine how many times, and to what devastating effect, this has happened before in our history. But this, certainly, is the flaw in what is an otherwise compelling narrative of human development. It is certainly true that man's presence alters his environment wherever he finds himself and that that alteration is generally permanent, irrevocable and, indeed, terrible for the creatures on the receiving end. Diamond calls on us to adopt a supportive stance toward environmentalism based on this knowledge, even as he has done in his work. But the truth is that humans cannot avoid leaving a footprint wherever we tread and it is certainly true that each and every tiny corner of this earth may, and probably does, harbor various unique species if only on the microscopic level.

His advocacy for environmental awareness is certainly wise and good advice for humankind overall since it is better to preserve and nurture our environment than devour it like locusts. As far as we know, at least for now, there is only one Earth and, thus, one human home so we must attend to it. But it's unrealistic to imagine that man can avoid impacting his environment entirely or sufficiently so as to avoid displacing other species at all. That one development Diamond cites is a useful example but how many other developments, as he rightly notes, have done as much or more around the planet? We can't cease developing the world around us unless we alter our own growth trajectory and aim to diminish rather than enhance our numbers.

But diminishing the number of human beings, besides being against our natural biological imperative (to pass on our genes), intoduces the risks of civilizational breakdown and failure since fewer and fewer members of the various population groups will be called on to support more and more of the aging members of their groups. At the same time, unless all of mankind can be diminished in numbers simultaneously, there will be competition for space and resources which will see larger and more robust population groups impinging on the holdings of the diminishing groups (as we see in Europe today where an aggressive external Muslim population presses on a more inward-looking diminishing native population). This must lead to its own conflicts and disasters. Perhaps a worldwide plague or devastating war would do the trick but to what terrible effect for those living through it? And what about the tangential effects on the environments in which the self-destroying human populations are enduring plague and/or war?

Despite Diamond's important points about the human propensity to eat its own, we are chimps hanging onto an evolutionary tiger by its tail. We cannot let it go without being devoured but suspect that holding on will not be in our own best interests either. Diamond's written a good and important book here with lots of insight and new perspectives worth pondering. But he has no solution for us because, in the end, we are evolution's children. Perhaps we may grow ourselves out of this present quandary. Or perhaps not. Either way, it's certainly worthwhile reading Diamond's take on this.

SWM

Another high quality Diamond.......2007-09-29

The Third Chimpanzee is another contribution by Jared Diamond that forces people to think about man's past as well as what we are doing, and could be doing, for our future. He makes you think.

Better understanding our evolution - and our nature.......2007-09-19

Jared Diamond explains in his awesome style how we are related to the various ape species and why the chimps are our closest cousins (or rather brothers). Based on the differences and similarities between us, do we have the right to consider ourselves so much different from animals, and do we have the right not to grant at least some human rights to our closest relatives...

I'm 98% chimp.......2007-09-12

What species is most closely related to the chimp? If you guessed humans, you're right! Chimps and humans share more than 98% of the same genes. Given this fact, Jared explores human behavior and is somehow able to do this from outside of the human perspective. While we like to think of ourselves as being far above other species, Jared is careful to recognize other less flattering and uniquely human traits such as our addiction to chemical substances and our practice of genocide. The Third Chimpanzee offers a unique and balanced perspective of the human animal and the role we play in the global environment. Read this book to gain a more complete understanding of what it means to be human, where we came from, and where we might be headed.

Wonderful book by Diamond.......2007-07-12

Biologist Jared Diamond's book, originally published in 1992, doesn't have a unifying theme as in his later "Guns, Germs and Steel". Rather, we have different themes tackled in different chapters. Among those themes are the origins of the Indoeuropeans (the mysterious people, also knowns as the Aryans, from whom most Europeans and Indians descend), why Europeans were able to conquer much of the world in the last century (a subject he would later return to in Guns...), why he believes the attempts to overcome aging will fail, his skepticism about the possibility of contacting extraterrestrial civilizations (even if we are able to contact the few aliens that might exist, they might try to conquer us, he claims), the last first contacts between modern civilizations and bands of hunter gatherers still living on the Stone Age, an explanation of sexual selection and the origins of the human races, why the handicap principle bring forward by biologist Amotz Zahavi explain many seeming self-destructive behavior by human beings, an interesting overview of genocide in human history, and so forth. Diamond's environmentalism is quite radical: he believes for example, as some luddites do, that man's fall started when he switched from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Still, this is a wonderful book, enlivened by Diamond's erudition and wonderful writing.

The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal

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Classic commentary of evolutional proportions
A Mandatory Cultural Priority for Human Beings
Degrees of separation.
Very Good
Naked As In Stripped Of Our Illusions Of Self

The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal
Desmond Morris
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0385334303
Release Date: 1999-04-13

Customer Reviews:

Classic commentary of evolutional proportions.......2007-06-18

The concept of looking at ourselves as an animal in the zoo is a fascinating one. While Desmond Morris takes a look at humans through a zoologist's goggles, coming to terms with this idea is half the fun while reading this book. The title and introduction of the book help create the detachment so the reader can play along. This 1960's classic reads more like a commentary of an intellectual with a fertile mind than the thesis of a scientist who has dedicated his life to studying the human species. Read it with that expectation and you will not go dissatisfied. However, if you are expecting another The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, The Naked Ape will not cut it.

The book characterizes the naked ape's tedency to procreate, raise children, explore, fight, feed, live and communicate in evolutionary terms. My favorite part is where the act of sexual intercourse is put under the microscope and studied from a zoological perspective. It is like taking notes while watching a porn movie.

As with any stimulating commentary, it has opinions that may force your mind to demand substantiation. For example, throughout the book Morris' is morbidly fixated upon the problem of population explosion and that it would become the single-most important cause of destruction of our species as well as the planet. It plays such an important role in his mind, that his last words in the book are a warning sign against this phenomenon. His fear and his suggested solutions are radical. In general, he calls for sophistication of "birth control" at least to the same extent as "death control".

At the time of writing the book, the population was 3 billion growing at the rate of 150,000 per day (1.82%). If this growth continues, which Morris resigns is "highly unlikely", the book projects 400 billion naked apes in 260 years. Let's review this projection at the time of reviewing this book 40 years later. We are 6.6 billion growing at the rate of 211,000 per day (1.17%). At this rate, in another 220 years, we would be 80 billion which too, may I add, is "highly unlikely" and highly undesirable.

A commentary of evoluational proportions spans millions of years, and the selection of information to be presented is a task of astronomical proportions. Being mindful of the complexity of this problem, Desmond Morris seems to have done a fine job of selection and generally speaking, the theories are very agreeable. This is certainly one for the shelves.

A Mandatory Cultural Priority for Human Beings.......2007-05-05

Rather than denigrate religion, it helps to define mankind's potential given his human condition, and should be mandatory in high school and college classrooms to form the basis for the human condition in his collective world.

Profound as the title might seem, the philosophy is sound in that once all structures are removed from earth, what is left is essentially man, woman, and child to construct the best possible world for survival - what could be simpler to understand the nature of society that is as surely rooted in biology, as in philosophy and organization? Without a basic understanding of biology, human society cannot survive or make progress.

Well worth the read.

Degrees of separation........2006-02-26

Desmond Morris has created an extremely provocative and challenging book that forces one to question "humanity's" everyday and all-time reactions and motivations. It challenges one to analyse and understand whether we are as intelligent as we think. This book is as valid today as it was when it was written 40 years ago. Our arrogance in seeing ourselves as being intelligent beings is exposed or at least called into question. The Naked Ape, used well, forces one to continually re-assess and measure society's and one's own behaviour.

Very Good.......2006-01-25

Based on the cover illustration and the subtitle, you'd think that The Naked Ape is another book about human evolution. This is far from the truth. The Naked Ape is about man's current condition. It views people as just another animal.

Desmond Morris is trying to strip us of our superiority complex. His first tactic is to give us a new name: Naked Apes.

In a book that lacks loads of hard facts, it's easy to stray off and stretch the little data available. For example, Morris says that humans will inevitably be surpassed by another species. But he also gives evidence that goes against that. He claims that humans kill anything that competes with them. Morris stretches data very far when he talks about how the neighborhoods where houses are the same, are inhuman. He says that because we are territorial animals, we need to feel our territory is unique. He says that this leads to people in these neighborhoods doing things liking adding a room or planting a colorful flower in their front yard, to make up for the lack of uniqueness. The only thing is that if you ask someone who is adding a room to their house, they're going to say it's because they need space. We may be territorial but turning that into why we add things to our houses is quite a stretch.

To be fair, most of Morris's arguments are legitimate. In the first chapter when he talks about human origin, the theorems presented are legitimate. This is due to the fact that none of the theorems presents are Morris's. He is just reprinting other people's theories. (And crediting them) The theorem about aquatic apes makes a lot of sense.

This book is humbling. People seem to feel superior to everything, but Morris shows that humans answer to the basic laws of animal behavior. Even though city life is against our nature, we find a way to make it human. Being around hundreds of thousands of people is unusual, we still manage to talk to and be around the same twenty people.

I feel people should read this book because it shows not just how we're similar to chimps and gorillas, but each other. Though we may make different decisions, deep down we're genetically all the same.

Naked As In Stripped Of Our Illusions Of Self.......2005-09-09

If human beings ever make contact with an intelligent species from beyond planet earth, then the observations those "people" might make about us would probably read quite a bit like the ones evolutionary zoologist Morris makes in this humorous but deadly serious study of the human animal. The very things we have come to see as mundane about ourselves are the very traits Morrison zeroes in on here. Very little escapes this careful study, although in some cases humanity might collectively wish it had. In this book the human species is anatomically, psychologically, sociologically and biologically cataloged and classified. We read a dispassionate critique of our mating habits, the ways in which we raise our young, our preferences for foods, for where we live, for how we interact with one another, and what bodily features are universally desired over others. In the end I was left both amazed and embarrassed to be among the membership in this great and crazed life form.

Teeth (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology)

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Teeth (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology)
Simon Hillson
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521545498

Book Description

Teeth yield remarkable information about animals as well as the health, hygiene and diet of ancient communities. In this fully revised and up-dated edition of his classic text, Simon Hillson draws together a mass of information on dental studies in archaeology and related disciplines. The book's treatment of mammals is extended to include mammals of North America and Asia north of the Himalayas. The form of roots are now detailed with figures showing root socket patterns in different genera. The new edition also includes an appendix on methods. First Edition Hb (1986): 0-521-30405-9 First Edition Pb (1990): 0-521-38671-3

Anthropological Bibliographies: A Selected Guide (A Redgrave Book)

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Anthropological Bibliographies: A Selected Guide (A Redgrave Book)
Margo L. Smith
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0913178632

Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals

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Delightful
Great book about your brain and your body in the world
Fascinating reading, and learn stuff along the way.
Opens many new doors [while closing a few]
Nature VIA nurture - a concise, witty, irreverent explanation of how our genes really operate

Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals
Robert M. Sapolsky
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743260163

Book Description

How do imperceptibly small differences in the environment change one's behavior? What is the anatomy of a bad mood? Does stress shrink our brains? What does People magazine's list of America's "50 Most Beautiful People" teach us about nature and nurture? What makes one organism sexy to another? What makes one orgasm different from another? Who will be the winner in the genetic war between the sexes?

Welcome to Monkeyluv, a curious and entertaining collection of essays about the human animal in all its fascinating variety, from Robert M. Sapolsky, America's most beloved neurobiologist/primatologist. Organized into three sections, each tackling a Big Question in natural science, Monkeyluv offers a lively exploration of the influence of genes and the environment on behavior; the social and political -- and, of course, sexual -- implications of behavioral biology; and society's shaping of the individual. From the mating rituals of prairie dogs to the practice of religion in the rain forest, the secretion of pheromones to bugs in the brain, Sapolsky brilliantly synthesizes cutting-edge scientific research with wry, erudite observations about the enormous complexity of simply being human. Thoughtful, engaging, and infused with pop-cultural insights, this collection will appeal to the inner monkey in all of us.

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"The human animal in all its fascinating quirks of nature is showcased in this thoughtful and entertaining essay collection from America's most beloved neurobiologist/primatologist. In these essays -- updated for this volume -- Robert M. Sapolsky once again applies his curiosity, compassion, and generous insight into the human condition to make a case for the science of behavioral biology that tells us who we are, why we are, and how we are. The first section, ""Genes and Who We Are,"" addresses the physiology of genes, featuring a dissertation on ""The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World"" and tackling the vital question: How did they wind up on the list? Another essay explains the invisible genetic warfare that takes place between men and women as they conceive a baby and that continues as the fetus develops. As Sapolsky says, ""Warning: this essay does not make pleasant wedding-night reading."" The second section, ""Our Bodies and Who We Are,"" focuses on our physical natures and dwells on such diverse topics as why dreams are in fact dreamlike, why we are sexually attracted to one another, and why Alzheimer's disease tends to be a postmenopausal phenomenon. As Sapolsky writes, ""Sometimes, all you need to do is think a thought and you change the functioning of virtually every cell in your body."" In the third section, ""Society and Who We Are,"" Sapolsky takes his interdisciplinary curiosity out into the wilds of civilization and poses such interesting questions as: When and why do our preferences in food become fixed? Why do desert cultures tend to be monotheistic and sexually repressed, whereas rainforest cultures tend to be sexually relaxed and polytheistic? Why do different cultures think differently about dead bodies? ""We are shaped by the sort of society in which we live,"" Sapolsky tells us, ""and we would not be the same person if we had grown up elsewhere."" In each of these investigations, we see a brilliant mind synthesizing his and others' research in a thoughtful, engaging, and witty voice that reveals the enormous complexity of simply being human. Charming and erudite in equal measure, this collection will appeal to the inner monkey in all of us. "

Customer Reviews:

Delightful.......2006-10-16

I have never read anything by Sapolsky before. Now that I have he goes right to the top of my list with Richard Dawkins and Desmond Morris.

Great book about your brain and your body in the world.......2006-08-28

I absolutely LOVED this book! I read it very quickly and had trouble putting it down. It is fascinating, educational, funny, enjoyable and well written about complex issues.

Sapolsky, who is the author of A Primate's Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, is a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford and a recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant. I found his genius not only to be in his insight and ability to frame questions and pursue their answers, but also to be able to write about it in a way that is accessible to a "nongenius."

This book is a collection of previously published essays that are updated for this edition (the updates include notes for further reading and on source materials). Sapolsky divides the book into three parts ("Genes and Who We Are," "Our Bodies and Who We Are" and "Society and Who We Are") and introduces each section with cogent current thinking on the issues addressed. For example, to introduce the first section, Sapolsky writes about how the nature-nurture argument is a red herring; genes contribute to personality/behavior when the environment interacts with them in ways conducive to gene-induced behavior! For example, in "Of Mice and (Hu)men Genes," Sapolsky writes about genes that may indicate a proclivity for depression, but only in certain environments, and summarizes that the reader should be wary of simple expanations. (And, he asserts, as humans we may have more responsibility to create positive environments that interact benignly with risky genes than to understand which genes cause what.) In the second section's "Why are Dreams Dreamlike?" Sapolsky illustrates how answering some questions about how the brain and psyche function just brings up other, deeper questions.

Sapolsky's illustrations of his points are fascinating and enlightening (and often funny!). In "The Genetic War Between Men and Women," he writes about how the genes from the father of a species have one goal ("greater, faster, more expensive growth") while genes from the mother have another ("countering that exuberance"). The success comes in nature's ability to balance these goals: "The placenta is ... the scene of a pitched battle, with paternally derived genes pushing [the placenta] to invade more aggressively while maternally derived genes try to hold it back." He lists other examples of this balance in humans and other species. This view of nature and how reproduction is nurtured fascinated me and helped me to see things in a new way.

Sapolsky's topics are wide ranging, and the book reminded me a bit of Freakonomics in its tendency to turn its problem-solving focus on whatever issue crossed its path. For example, in the final section, he writes about the differences between the
religions of desert peoples and the religions of tropical peoples -- the former tend to have a single god with miltaristic iterations and few rights for women while the latter tend toward pantheism and matrilocal marital residence. "Most evidence suggests that the rain-forest mind-set is more of a hothouse attribute, less hardy when uprooted." I guess that's evident, but Sapolsky's writings on the topic, again, gave me a new way to look at something I hadn't considered before. In this book, he addresses game theory, gene mapping, musical tastes, gender-communication issues and neurogenesis with wit, clarity and insight.

I recommend this book if you're the least bit curious about your brain, your body, the natural world and the society in which you live.

Fascinating reading, and learn stuff along the way........2006-06-05

This guy knocks my socks off. Read him just for pleasure and learn loads while your at it. I find this truly fascinating.

Opens many new doors [while closing a few].......2006-03-26

It's easy to tack the disparaging label "pop science" to this book. That would be misleading and counterproductive. What, after all, is "popular science" but science for non-scientists. From a broader perspective this book is informative, enlightening and ably suited for its intended task. Among other virtues, this book is a well-written account of what too many of us believe is valid science. It then discloses where we are mistaken in that belief and provides corrections. In his vividly rendered chapters, Sapolsky offers numerous challenges to "established" thinking. The challenges are often raw and forceful, but they must be understood fully.

A primate researcher, the author has spent many years studying baboon behaviour. Those who fear comparison with other primates may be uncomfortable with Sapolsky's conclusions. The material he draws upon for support, however, shows how universal many of our own behaviours are among our close relatives. In this book, he takes up three themes - why searching for "a gene for" any specific behaviour or illness is doomed to failure; what the body contributes to our personality; and what society contributes in determining our "selves". Each section is preceded by an introductory essay, explaining the significance of the topics discussed.

In the first section he severely condemns those who want to lock behaviour to genetics. That's an admirable end, but the selections weighed in his judgement are nearly all media accounts. Simplifying human behaviour issues sells magazines and newspapers, and his references to "those scientists" who appear to have advocated "nature over nurture" vapourise when you look for them in the text. Still, the elmination of "gene centrism" is an admirable ambition. That is what the public too often sees and the illusion needs expulsion from the collective public consciousness. He reminds us that many "genetic" drives are environmentally triggered. Whatever the rules are genes function under, they aren't rigid ones. Environment contributes, often in a major way.

In the second section, Sapolsky ranges over body-behaviour issues. From the "Twinky Defence" to definitions of dreaming, he explores how the body and brain relate to influence the mind. Emotions result from the cascades of hormones flowing through our bodies. The brain triggers many of these, but the body sends messages to the brain using that chemical medium. While all this may leave the impression that we are almost helpless observers of what these molecular signals drive us to do, the author reminds us that the "big" part of the brain, the frontal cortex, grants us a level of control denied most other animals.

Finally, we are treated to an overview of our relation to the departed. Why is there such an intense drive in humans to deal with the dead? That is most ardently expressed when the body is missing. There are bizarre cases noted here, not the least of which is story of the rituals imposed when the US Navy retrieved the bodies of drowned Japanese fishermen. Yet more intriguing are the cases of mothers finding ways to have their children hospitalised. Each time the mother visited a recovering child, there was a relapse.

That Sapolsky's style is brisk, even fervent at times, shouldn't obscure the fact that there's much in here most of us need to know. When you and your spouse argue, who concedes first? Why is this so? Daily life situations are biologically examined, without the rhetoric that might turn this into a campaign document. There is a message: that we need to learn more about what provides our emotional makeup, from domestic disputes to "over-mothering". Read this and find out what. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Nature VIA nurture - a concise, witty, irreverent explanation of how our genes really operate.......2006-03-16

This is another great book in the line of Matt Ridley, driving many coffin nails through genetic determinism, including practitioners of Evolutionary Psychology (with capital letters, as a philosophical mindset) who remain more genetic determinists than they let on while claiming to preach "nature via nurture."

Sapolsky is the real deal on "nature via nurture" - indeed, it should be noted that, with the exception of a totally genetically determined thing like Huntington's disease, he preaches "nature ONLY via nurture," or something along that general line.

Beyond that, he gets into the nuts and bolts of what we know today, and don't know, about non-coding areas of our DNA, which are NOT all simply "junk DNA." Rather, you have introns and exons for marking where a coding sequence of DNA starts and stops, and even more importantly, you have regulatory, or modulating, sections of DNA, which may tell a coding section only to switch on when there are more than 12 hours of daylight per day, which could be used to trigger mating behavior.

Here are some important page by page notes:
23 "More than 95 percent of DNA is non-coding. Sure, a lot of that is the junk-packing material DNA [a lot of which may be "quarantined" remnants of viral DNA, similar to what Norton Utilities does on your PC when necessary], but your average gene comes with a huge instruction manual about how to operate it, and the operator is often environmental."

23-24 "The startling second fact is that when you examine variability in DNA sequences among individuals, the non-coding regions of DNA are considerably more variable than are the regions that code for genes." Sapolsky admits much of this is due to junk DNA areas, but that much of the variability is attributable to regulatory area. Obviously, this has huge impacts on the nurture side of things.

42-44 Good discussion of imprinted genes, which differ from Mendelian biology in that only one is active, usually the one that comes from the parent of the same sex as a child. (Note: this does NOT mean these genes are limited in placement to our sex chromosomes.) The result? These imprinting genes battle for placental and fetal growth, as male and female genes have different "urges" for the placental and fetal rates of growth, due to male-vs-female differences in mammalian breeding strategy. Placental tumors can result if only the paternal gene is active, lack of placental implantation in the uterus when only the maternal gene is active.

61 Offspring of attractive males, in many species studies, survive less often than average.

63. In a study with ducks, with attractive males, it actually appears that the female invests more energy in the egg, laying a larger egg when impregnated by an attractive male. (The egg size is under female control.)
Both of these should put some question to old stereotypes about peacock tails being signs of fitness and so increasing mating, etc. At the least, they should caution us to look for more nuanced explanations.

83ff Limbic and autonomic nervous responses come on- and offline at different rates to one another. In relation to the frontal cortex, this may help explain why intermittent rewards can actually be more psychologically reinforcing than regular ones.

177. In many species, females in some way manipulate alpha-male type males into fighting over them, to go off and mate with more "nice guy" types.

184. Why our desire for revenge? It stems out of game theory, from games such as Prisoners' Dilemma, etc., which show the value of "tit for tat altruism" - if the game is played more than once, especially if one knows a "cheater" will be back in the mix again.
But, in a one-time game, especially where a competitor is informed he/she cannot inform players of future rounds about a cheater, including not being able to inform them through the action of punishing a cheater, then revenge as our self-appointed judge and executioner's pound of flesh seems a natural action, even if we the "cheated" have to expend yet more energy to make the cheater pay.
Hence our actions in today's civilized society, namely such as flipping people off for cutting us off in traffic, etc.

Digging Up Dinosaurs (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

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Very Amusing
Easy/ fun to read, comprehensive, informative, & great pics

Digging Up Dinosaurs (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064450783

Book Description

How did those enormous dinosaur skeletons get inside the museum?

Long ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Then, suddenly, they died out. For thousands of years, no one knew these giant creatures had ever existed. Then people began finding fossils -- bones and teeth and footprints that had turned to stone. Today, teams of experts work together to dig dinosaur fossils out of the ground, bone by fragile bone. Then they put the skeletons together again inside museums, to look just like the dinosaurs of millions of years ago.

Customer Reviews:

Very Amusing.......2007-03-25

I just thought this book was flat-out funny, for kids and adults. Although most of the humor is in the pictures, there's a little bit mixed in with the text as well.

Before reading this book, I didn't know that most dinosaur skeletons in museums were actually copies of real-life skeletons. But when you think about it, it makes sense. I mean, how many complete authentic T-rex skeletons are out there? Not too many. Got to have copies if you want people to see skeletons.

I kept looking for the author's last name in this book but never found it.

And you know, I always thought I'd be a paleontologist when I was a kid, and even though I don't want to be one anymore, it's still fun to read great stuff like this.

Easy/ fun to read, comprehensive, informative, & great pics.......1998-11-12

I am six years old and in second grade. I needed a book for my report on Apatasaurus. This book was just perfect. I had to have 5 sources for my report, and this book was my favorite. I have a few other books on Dinosaurs from this author too. I like the way he writes. Thanks for your help with all the good information.

Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence

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O heavenly bliss! Intelligence, truth, and coherence collides at once!
Y-chromosome: bad
A depressing but very important work
Our roots in reality
Has now been refuted

Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence
Dale Peterson , and Richard Wrangham
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0395877431

Amazon.com

If you harbor a sneaking suspicion that men are a herd of ignoble savages, then this book is for you. Authors Wrangham and Peterson will confirm your instincts. It turns out that hyperviolent social behavior is deeply rooted in male human genes and common among our closest male primate relatives. Rapes, beatings and killings are as much a part of life among the great apes as they are among us. The authors try to conclude on some upbeat notes that ring hollow, but their science reveals much about the dark side of human nature.

Book Description

Whatever their virtues, men are more violent than women. Why do men kill, rape, and wage war, and what can we do about it? Drawing on the latest discoveries about human evolution and about our closest living relatives, the great apes, Demonic Males offers some startling new answers. Dramatic, vivid, and firmly grounded in meticulous research, this book will change the way you see the world. As the San Francisco Chronicle said, it "dares to dig for the roots of a contentious and complicated subject that makes up much of our daily news."

Customer Reviews:

O heavenly bliss! Intelligence, truth, and coherence collides at once!.......2007-08-14

After spending some time postulating theories which might help explain the motives and actions of school shooters, I gathered a list of relevant keywords such as aggression, violence, hate, and male, (since all school shooters I know of have been male) I found myself drawn to a handful of books which I subsequently checked out from my local library. Among these books was a copy of Demonic Males, which I chose (thank God) to read first. I was not disappointed.

In this book Wrangham makes a careful academic study out of his theory that human males are inherently aggressive or demonic as he says, and that this trait is inextricably bound to our common ancestory with apes, and in particular, chimpanzees. He shows this by contrasting human and chimp behavior with other apes, and detailing the calculated murderous behavior exhibited by both species. The result is fascinating. Wrangham carefully shows that aggression is a behavior that evolved in chimps and humans because it enables males to attain a higher status, which in turn guarantees a high percentage of success when feeding and also passing down our genes by sexual reproduction. This search for status he says, to become the alpha male, is the driving desire behind every male, and I could not agree more. As a good example of an aggressive male myself, I confidently say that this desire for status is a primary occupation for all men, especially when they are placed in situations with other males. This, Wrangham asserts, and I also believe to be true, is always the case, regardless of whether the choice to seek a higher status is conscious or not. On an interesting note, he connects (however not assertively or forcefully) that higher animal intelligence in humans and other apes allows the animal to anticipate more effectively, and therefore it can see an obvious advantage to eliminating other males and taking their females and territory (as in the case of chimps) and in the ability of humans to effectively use weapons to kill massive amounts of other people while potientially suffering very few casualties. But Wrangham is tactful on these points, since it would be out of step with current PC thought to assert that the smartest animals kill each other simply on the basis of genes. He is careful to give culturally determined influences their shared blame in this regard, which helps to avoid exonorating those who commit violent crimes.

This is what I find most admirable about the book. Though Wrangham is a born and bred ethologist, he avoids emphasizing the nature side of the nature/nurture debate. Rather he labels that debate as an error perpetuated by Galton, the man who coined the phrase nature versus nurture in the first place. Here the author allows that both biological and cultural factors have their respective and undeniable effects on our behavior, and carefully explains the error in choosing either extreme.

Regarding my interest in school shootings, this book together with chimpanzee politics is essential reading when trying to understand what I would call the more unconscious motives of school shooters, and perhaps even the reasons as to why other males often fail to react aggressively and violently in such situations, given the lean odds for survival and the lack of pre-formed coalitions due to benign competition for alpha male status in a classroom.

If I can derive such information from this book where school shootings are scarcely even mentioned (it was published in 1996 before most memorable shootings), then most any reader interested in the possible reasons for inherently male aggression will delight in the reading of this text. Truly, I cannot reccomend it enough.

Y-chromosome: bad.......2006-11-17

This one provides a quasi-sociobiological and evolutionary historical look at why people are so fond of raping and murdering each other. The authors look at the social relations among the great apes and find, who would have thunk it, very humanlike patterns of war, rape, murder, and other such cute behaviors. They also give various paleontological factoids and speculation about our immediate ancestors which support their thesis. I couldn't help but be annoyed at their blanket condemnation of the entire Y chromosome; they seemed to use the example of the relatively peaceful Bonobo chimps as an excuse for some kind of radical (and nebulous) feminist social engineering a la Aristophanes play 'Lysistrata' where women halted war by withholding nookie. I figure thusly: men are the primary rapists and murderers and warmakers, but wimmenfolk also participate in these activities. Men are also rather stronger and more capable of violence. Furthermore, they are largely responsible for lifting the race from the mud (but wimmenfolk also participate in these activities). These facts are almost certainly related. Menfolk simply have more time for mischeif. Women can be just as vengeful and brutal as men. Still, such books are worthwhile, as there are entire swathes of humanity who think if we all would just indulge them in their particular social, economic or sexual peccadillo, we'd all be peaceful in happy. Not so. Appreciation for the benefits of civilization can only grow when being reminded of the nature of humankind.

A depressing but very important work.......2004-07-09

I read this book several years ago but I find myself constantly referring to it in conversations about politics and global events. The chilling examination of rape, genocide and infanticide practiced by male orangutans, chimpanzees, and gorillas (respectively) is depressingly resonant of our human penchant for violence, and suggests that we come by these behaviors "honestly" by way of a shared genetic heritage. Unfortunately, we don't seem to share as much behavior with our other close relatives, the bonobos, who make love, not war. More poignantly than anything else I have read, this book poses the question of whether humans can ever overcome their genetic predisposition for violence and create a more peaceful society. If the past decade of world events is any indication, the very depressing conclusion would seem to be in the negative. But there are always pockets of progress and glimmers of hope -- of all the great apes we are the most adaptable and unpredictable. By illuminating the biological imperatives underlying our most unattractive behaviors, the book adds to our self-knowledge and, we can dimly hope, may even help our flawed species alter its violent trajectory.

Our roots in reality.......2004-04-21

What drives humanity to engage in its incessant wars? Why do men fight over apparent inconsequentials? Is rape a "natural" and "sex-driven" event, or merely the consequence of human cultural demands? These questions and a host of others are addressed in this superb survey of primate behaviour studies. Ever since Jane Goodall discovered chimpanzees sought colobus monkeys for dinner treats, new studies of primates have revealed arresting behaviour patterns. Like humans, other primates murder, rape and even make war. The authors have scoured a wealth of primate studies to derive a picture of our heritage. They suggest we learn what our cousins do in order to better understand what we do. Otherwise, we will continue to make bad decisions based on flawed assumptions.

Our fellow primates are avid territorialists, argue the authors. Borders unseen by us are clearly delineated by chimpanzees, orangutans and monkeys. These defined areas are hotly defended. The other side of the coin produces invasions. Opportunism, failing resources, or just spite, drives chimpanzee groups to stealthily scout and enter another band's range. Rarely, an individual will stage a foray, but only if he thinks success likely. Too often, the raids appear to have no particular purpose. A sally may lead to injuries or even death, but the attacking troop is just as likely to withdraw to its original range with neither captives nor booty. What prompts these seemingly mindless assaults? Are they inevitable among primates?

The latter question was answered, according to the authors, with the discovery of the "pygmy chimpanzee" or bonobo. This species contrasts sharply with its common chimpanzee cousins, who live in bands beset by tension. Common chimpanzees may raid other groups, but "back home" the hierarchical structure leads to internal conflict. Raids on other groups may vent some aggravation, but it's the struggle for dominance that rules common chimp behaviour. Bonobos, by contrast, use sex to resolve their social conflicts. Bisexual and same sex couplings are common and frequent. With no hierarchy to climb, males need not struggle for dominance. Although a senior female may wield some authority, even her "rules" are imparted by selected groomings or couplings with aggressors.

Bonobos are late arrivals on the evolutionary stage, having split off from the chimpanzee line after chimps and humans diverged from their common ancestor. Humans tended in some ways toward chimpanzee behaviour, toward bonobos in other aspects. Male dominance and most aspects of male violence stem from similarities to our nearest cousins, the chimps, say the authors. They stress that most human violence is rooted in our volutionary past. Although they're prompt to deny that this foundation cannot be overcome, they stress that we must understand these roots in order to make better decisions. Most significantly, they argue, we must shed the mythology of violence as a cultural artefact. This will be a difficult step for many, but it must be taken. This book will ease the path.
[stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Has now been refuted.......2004-01-11

I would refer you all to a recent documentary in the BBC "Horizon" series investigating the whole "demonic male chimp" controversy, based on comparing the chimp colony at Gombe with others. Suffice to say, it told a disturbing story of inductive research, extensive intervention by the researchers themselves, affecting the apes' behaviour and ditching of evidence which refuted the "demonic" hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis presented was that the Gombe chimps are unusual, and their aggression owes more to overcrowding within a shrinking area of forest than to any natural "demonic" streak; other chimp colonies apparently show far lower levels of mutual aggression, if any at all. The scariest moment came not from learning that the legendary Frodo had killed and partially eaten a human baby, but from Dr Goodall's apparent coldness towards this incident. Had a tiger or crocodile done this, it would have been shot within days, but tigers and crocs don't have glamourous young women anthropomorphising them in bestselling books or on primetime TV.

Neanderthals Revisited: New Approaches and Perspectives (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

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Neanderthals Revisited: New Approaches and Perspectives (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402051204

Book Description

Recent years have witnessed exciting and important scientific breakthroughs in the study of Neanderthals and their place in human evolution which have transformed our appreciation of this group’s paleobiology and evolution. This volume presents cutting-edge research by leading scientists re-examining the major debates in Neanderthal research with the use of innovative state-of-the art methods and exciting new theoretical approaches.

Topics addressed include the re-evaluation of Neanderthal anatomy, inferred adaptations and habitual activities, developmental patterns, phylogenetic relationships, and the Neanderthal extinction; new methods include computer tomography, 3D geometric morphometrics, ancient DNA and bioenergetics. The diverse contributions offer fresh insights and advances in Neanderthal and modern human origins research.

This is a Volume in The Max-Planck-Institute Subseries in Human Evolution coordinated by Jean-Jacques Hublin, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Leipzig, Germany

The Reindeer People: Living With Animals and Spirits in Siberia

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I didn't know the Russians sent Reindeer to Alaska
Anthropological Fieldwork at its Finest!
Anthropology that reads like a novel.
Tungus life

The Reindeer People: Living With Animals and Spirits in Siberia
Piers Vitebsky
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618773576

Book Description

In this acclaimed work, the anthropologist Piers Vitebsky offers a unique account of the Eveny, nomads who live in intimate partnership with an extraordinary animal. For centuries reindeer have provided the Eveny with food, fur, transport, and spiritual sustenance, enabling them to survive in the world's coldest inhabited region, the Siberian taiga, where winter ice freezes six feet thick and the temperature drops to ninety-six degrees below zero.

The book presents a gallery of unforgettable personalities, including shamans, psychics, wolves, bears, dogs, Communist Party bosses, daredevil aviators, and the spirits of fires and rivers. Based on nearly two decades of fieldwork, The Reindeer People is an enthralling and moving testimony to a Siberian native people's humor and endurance at the ecological limits of human existence.

Customer Reviews:

I didn't know the Russians sent Reindeer to Alaska.......2007-08-15

I learned here that Reindeer herding for the commercial meat market has been a staple of Artic communities throughout the 20th Century (hence the effort to translpant it to Alaska in the 1920s).

This is an amazing story of a British anthropologist's 25+ years visiting and documenting the life of some of the last indigenous Siberian people to herd domestic reindeer. We meet many keenly individual men women and children, from the university-trained to the descendants of shamans. I was reminded of the Mongul family in the documenary movie "The Weeping Camel," and of Amundson's antarctic expeditions, which used native skills while Scott died using modern mechanical aids. We learn what it was like to live under Soviet rule (when labor camps drove the meat markets); we watch Perestroika as it affects both animals and people, and we witness the region's disastrous ecological and economic decline under Putin's Russia.

Anthropological Fieldwork at its Finest!.......2007-05-26

For someone who has only traveled so far as a few hundred miles in a sedan, my world is mind-numbingly small. Logistically, I rely on MapQuest to get me from "Point A" to "Point B"... and hopefully back in one piece. Without truly comprehending the land and life enveloping me in a "rural-suburban" town located somewhere in the cesspool of Bowash, I sorely needed a wake-up call to the raw emotion and spirit that has been inherently ingrained in the Eveny people, their reindeer, and their relationship to the expanses of Sakhan Siberia. As Vitebsky relives such experiences in The Reindeer People, his strikingly vivid account of living side-by-side with the Eveny not only intrigues, but brings to light the troubles faced by indigenous people that have been perpetuated by the Soviet era as well as its horrendous aftermath. Vitebsky's tale of the inevitable downfall of what was once a pristine way of life for these people offers a poignantly bittersweet glimpse of what is becoming all but history. Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest books to come my way in a long time!

Anthropology that reads like a novel........2006-03-17

Vitebsky's book is a wonderful look at the life, lives and living conditions in an area of the world most of us would consider uninhabitable. While it is an anthropological study, it overflows with human feelings and contact that make this a truly unforgettable read. This truly shows the need for humans to coexist with nature, not rule it.
Read this book.

Tungus life.......2005-12-29

I don't know where exactly to put this book - it is partly a memoir, a travelogue, an anthropological study for the lay reader...

Vitebsky spent a number of summers with different bands of Eveny, a Tungus tribe in mid Siberia. These Eveny were all associated with a 'State Farm', a Soviet era relic that regulates the use of the territory assigned to the bands, shipping of reindeer meat and antlers and bringing in supplies. The Farm was in this case controlled by an incompetent, alcoholic director and his cronies, who had been responsible for a number of disastrous decisions that had a big impact on the region as a whole.

Eveny have been hit hard by Soviet times and even harder in the chaos of the perestroika. They lost their shamans and the number of men willing to spend their winters herding reindeer in the forbidding sub sub zero taiga is decreasing, especially as the women refuse to leave the relative comfort of villages for the traditional nomadic way of life. As Vitebsky trails the herders on their annual migration, he is witnessing the impressive array of skills these people have to survive in one of the most inhospitable regions n this planet; slowly, as he is taken into their confidences, he also sees a part of their life that is hidden from the casual visitor. Although their shamans have all been killed, and the rituals all but stamped out, a number of folk 'superstitions' control all areas of Eveny life. Propitiating spirits of the land, dead ancestors, interpreting omens and dreams all play a central role in Eveny activity. There is a number of striking similarities with NA Indians in the relationship to the land, their respect of silence, mutual assistance and the non verbal communication that happens in that silence. Like the Indians, Eveny don't speak much, but when they do, the words mean something... like the Indians, the Eveny are getting destroyed by alcohol.

Vitebsky is mostly interested in social aspects of contemporary Eveny life - social tensions, alliances, intrigues and gossip. Given the tools he has he does a good job in bringing us a portrait of a native community deep in Siberia. Unlike what one might expect, his eveny are no ignorant herders - these guys have been around in schools, the military, they read astronomy, Wittgenstein and Mme Blavatsky and listen daily to radio Moscow; they seemed to be way better informed about the world situation than your average American (which doesn't say a lot).

Nevertheless, given its ambitious title, the book somehow does not deliver what it promises, at least it not for me. 'Living with animals and spirits' was missing something, i guess it was animals and spirits. Above all, Vitebsky is all too careful to approach these except through his informants. Now I also know why I am not an anthropologist. It would be very difficult for me to watch the State Farm director destroy people's lives without getting involved in some way; well, V. is an anthropologist and documents the disintegration that occurs with professional detachment. Still, there is good stuff in there and if you are interested in reindeer, this is the book to read.

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