What a magnificent book. Yes it's dated.....my copy was a 1969 edition of the second edition (from 1962)....so now really 58 years old. And there have been a few findings since then. As I recall from my own university days, the Watson Crick structure of DNA had just been elucidated so all the knowledge about evolution that has flowed from DNA analysis was absent in this early work. To my shame, this book has sat on my shelves all this time and I have never read it cover to cover....just dived into it from time to time to get some understanding of the anatomy or function of some species of animal. And, the reality is that I don't have enough time left to read and absorb this long and relatively complex text. Fortunately, I have a distant relative who would really appreciate the book so I can donate it to a "good home".
Young has attempted an encyclopaedic work which covers not only the evolution of the vertebrates from simplest to most complex but each Phylum seems to be given extraordinary attention. For example with the birds there is a large section covering bird ecology, flight, anatomy, digestion and respiration. A separate chapter devoted to bird behaviour and a third chapter devoted to the evolution of the birds. Admittedly, not all phyla get the same detailed treatment but the detail is still pretty good. And he has a powerful ending chapter of conclusions about the evolution of the vertebrates....most of which would appear to still hold good. For example, He generalises from his earlier work that: there is a tendency for organisms ....to come to live under ever more difficult conditions, gathering and expending more energy to keep alive.....In particular, those that develop mechanisms for learning directly with the nervous system will be successful and will evolve fast." I think it's a great book and really sorry that I have not given it the attention warranted over the many years it has sat on my shelves. (Still the road to hell is paved with "good intentions"). I give it 4.5 stars ...would have given it 5 but it really is now rather dated. ( )