Ancestral Images: The Iconography of Human Origins
By Stephanie Moser
This book explores the evolution of the image of early humans, from mythological and romanticized visions to modern scientific reconstructions. As Moser points out, many stereotypical images of prehistoric human have no scientific basis. For example, "cave men" are often shown as violent brutes with clubs, even though no such evidence of clubs has ever been found. It's an interesting analysis of a scientific topic, from a cultural perspective. (Bart Marable)
From Lucy to Language
By Blake Edgar, Donald Johanson
This is the book on which Becoming Human was largely based. It's divided into two main sections. In the first half of the book, the authors examine about fifty major issues in paleoanthropology, such as dating fossils, bipedalism, and the origins of language. The second-half is a visually-rich survey of hominid species and major fossil finds. David Brill's photography brings out amazing detail in these unique specimens, many reproduced life-sized for side-by-side comparison. (Bart Marable)
