Books
The following books can be ordered direct through Amazon.com by clicking the links.
All books are owned and recommended by the author of these pages.
- On the Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First Edition (Charles Darwin)
- The book that started it all by The Man himself!
Every student of biology should own a copy of this book, which tells exactly how Darwin proposed natural selection to work.
This version is literally a page-for-page copy of the first edition of Darwin's most famous work.
Introduction by Stephen Jay Gould.
- Dinosaur in a Haystack: Reflections in Natural History (Stephen Jay Gould)
- Stephen Jay Gould has been writing essays for the journal Nature since 1974.
These essays are collected in a series of books, including Dinosaur in a Haystack.
Gould touches on nearly every topic under the sun in his discussions of natural history and evolutionary theory, using a style which makes for pleasurable yet educational reading.
Available in
Paperback -
Hardcover -
Audiotape -
Deluxe Audiotape
- Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History (Stephen Jay Gould)
- Another collection of Gould's essays, using metaphors and literature to discuss the history of life.
- Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History (Stephen Jay Gould)
- Not a collection of essays, but a fascinating story about the most remarkable fossils every found: the specimens from the Burgess Shale.
The book's reconstructed illustrations of these bizarre animals are beautifully drawn.
This book is one of my personal favorites.
- The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design (Richard Dawkins)
- Among popular voices of evolution, Richard Dawkins stands in contrast to Stephen Jay Gould.
While Gould's specialty is paleontology, Dawkins studies modern organisms and genetics.
This book is easy to read, yet explains the intricacies and subtelties of evolutionary theory clearly.
Nifty associated software also available
- Evolution (Mark Ridley)
- This college-level textbook goes into great technical detail and is recommended for people who are very serious about learning the complexities of evolutionary theory.
Topics covered include (but are not limited to) evolutionary genetics, speciation, and extinction.
- Vertebrate Palaeontology: Biology and Evolution (Michael Benton)
- A book on paleontology -- the study of the history of life through fossils -- is a great tool for understanding the patterns of evolution.
This book gives an excellent overview of the history of vertebrate evolution.
Many groups' adaptations are explained and illustrated for clear understanding.
An excellent beginning reference in vertebrate paleontology.
- Vertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution (Robert L. Carroll)
- This book is an excellent professional reference in vertebrate paleontology.
It delves into the subject in great detail, though the reading is dry.
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