Anthropology: Physical Anthropology

In this masterwork, Russell H. Tuttle synthesizes a vast research literature in primate evolution and behavior to explain how apes and humans evolved in relation to one another, and why humans became a bipedal, tool-making, culture-inventing species distinct from other hominoids. Along the way, he refutes the influential theory that men are essentially killer apes--sophisticated but instinctively aggressive and destructive beings. Situating humans in a broad context, Tuttle musters convincing evidence from morphology and recent fossil discoveries to reveal what early primates ate, where they slept, how they learned to walk upright, how brain and hand anatomy evolved simultaneously, and what else happened evolutionarily to cause humans to diverge from their closest relatives. Despite our genomic similarities with bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas, humans are unique among primates in occupying a symbolic niche of values and beliefs based on symbolically mediated cognitive processes.

The Dictionary of Human Biology and Evolution (DHBE) covers a broad range of subjects within human biology, physical anthropology, anatomy, auxology, primatology, physiology, genetics, paleontology and zoology. Packed with 13000 descriptions of terms, specimens, sites and names, DHBE also includes information on over 1000 word roots, taxonomies and reference tables for extinct, recent and extant primates, geological and oxygen isotope chronologies, illustrations of landmarks, bones and muscles and an illustration of current hominid phylogeny, making this a must-have volume for anyone with an interest in human biology or evolution.

The Encyclopedia of the Human Brain places all information in a single source and contains clearly written summaries on what is known of the human brain. Covering anatomy, physiology, neuropsychology, clinical neurology, neuropharmacology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and behavioral science, this four-volume encyclopedia contains over 200 peer reviewed signed articles from experts around the world.

Hunting and gathering is humanity's first and most successful adaptation. Until 12,000 years ago, all humanity lived this way. Surprisingly, in an increasingly urbanized and technological world dozens of hunting and gathering societies have persisted and thrive worldwide, resilient in the face of change, their ancient ways now combined with the trappings of modernity. The Encyclopedia is divided into three parts. The first contains case studies, by leading experts, of over fifty hunting and gathering peoples, in seven major world regions. There is a general introduction and an archaeological overview for each region. Part II contains thematic essays on prehistory, social life, gender, music and art, health, religion, and indigenous knowledge. The final part surveys the complex histories of hunter-gatherers' encounters with colonialism and the state, and their ongoing struggles for dignity and human rights as part of the worldwide movement of indigenous peoples.