Synopses & Reviews
Concise, well-balanced, and comprehensive, ESSENTIALS OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Seventh Edition introduces you to physical anthropology with the goal of helping you understand the big picture of human evolution. Supported by vibrant visuals that include abundant illustrations, photographs, and photo-enhanced maps, the text focuses on human evolution and biology to help you master basic biological principles of physical anthropology so you'll be able to better understand human origins and our place in the biological world. Offering balanced coverage of the topic areas you'll cover in class (heredity and evolution, primates, hominid evolution, and contemporary human evolution) this edition emphasizes the chronology of fossil finds instead of just describing the fossils and the sites where they were found. The authors also interpret each fossil within the framework of the story of human evolution. New features like "Why It Matters" further emphasize the fossils' evolutionary significance, and often even propose the relevance of chapter materials to our everyday lives. The seventh edition provides thorough coverage of cutting-edge advances in molecular biology and expanded coverage of population biology and human variation. It also includes powerful learning tools, including a robust text website. Altogether, ESSENTIALS OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Seventh Edition, integrates up-to-date coverage of the latest finds and relevant technologies in a format and writing style designed to help all students master the material.
Review
"The graphics are superior to anything I have seen in other text books, particularly the use of full color. The use of the visual summaries and reviews is key to understanding this material. The figures and the tables are very illustrative of the points in the text and will definitely help those students that are primarily visual learners."
Review
"The strengths of the book are the clear writing, excellent visuals, and coverage of the fossil record and primate behavior."
Review
"The Essentials of Physical Anthropology text is well-written, up to date, reasonably priced, and superbly illustrated, especially the charts and table. The in-text study tools and ancillary materials are powerful complements to a book students enjoy using."
Review
This is an excellent introductory text about the discipline of physical anthropology and the origins of human beings and human culture. Scientific evidence and theories are presented in a clear and accessible way, making the text suitable for students who are neither anthropology nor science majors."
About the Author
Robert Jurmain received an A.B. in Anthropology from UCLA, and a Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from Harvard. He taught at San Jose State University from 1975-2004 and is now a Professor Emeritus. During his teaching career he taught courses in all the major branches of physical anthropology, with the greatest concentration in general education teaching for introductory students. His areas of research interest are skeletal biology of humans and non-human primates; paleopathology; and paleoanthropology. In addition to his three textbooks, which together have appeared in 23 editions, he is author of numerous articles in research journals as well as the book, STORIES FROM THE SKELETON: BEHAVIORAL RECONSTRUCTION IN HUMAN OSTEOLOGY (1999, GordonandBreach Publishers).Lynn Kilgore earned her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and holds an affiliate faculty position at Colorado State University, where her primary research interests are osteology and paleopathology. Her research has focused on evidence of disease and trauma in human and great ape skeletons.Wenda Trevathan is Regents Professor of Anthropology at New Mexico State University, where she has been on the faculty since 1983. She is a biological anthropologist whose research focuses on the evolutionary and biocultural factors underlying human reproduction including childbirth, maternal behavior, sexuality, and menopause. Her primary publications include works on the evolution of childbirth and evolutionary medicine. She teaches courses in physical anthropology, nutritional anthropology, medical anthropology, evolutionary medicine, and anthropology of reproduction.Harry Nelson received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Nelson originally studied cultural anthropology, and broadened his teaching and research interests to include both cultural and physical anthropology. Dr. Nelson pursued his interest in physical anthropology when he teamed with colleague Dr. Robert Jurmain to develop a new text. The resulting first edition of INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY appeared in 1979, and has regularly been revised and updated since that time. Dr. Nelson taught at Foothill College, CA., until his retirement. In December 2000, following a long illness, Dr. Nelson passed away.