Homo Britannicus : The Incredible Story of Human Life in Britain

This book introduces the reader to the science behind the early human habitation of Britain by putting the people into their individual contexts of climate and the depending geography, fauna and flora. It gives a clear and detailed account of the various schools of thought that prevailed at one time or another and introduces us to human evolution through fossilised human remains and the development of hand tools, as well as the science behind understanding ice ages and interglacials. The language is not too scientific and easily understandable to the layman, just once or twice later on in the book he succumbs to the temptation of name-dropping a specific scientific term without further explanation. The illustrations, maps and show more photographs are first class and go some way towards providing the reader with a clear understanding of what this book is all about, so I would always prefer the hardcover edition to the paperback. I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that the last chapter (about future climate change) seems a bit out of place in a book about palaeontology; he does have a point in that humankind has always been very vulnerable to climate change, be it for better or worse, but to devote an entire chapter to it in which he is speculating and appears to be sermonising, is simply not in line with the rest of the book which is solidly grounded in scientific fact. In the appendix we have an opportunity to meet the core members of AHOB as well as one of their associate members and it was great to read about their obvious enthusiasm and their various and diverse backgrounds that come together to make this project so successful, but to have 25 pages of it was stretching my patience a little bit.

On the whole, a very worthwhile book and excellent introduction to a fascinating subject that whets the appetite for more. show less

Fascinating story but a bit drily told. The most engaging was an account of climate change towards the end of the book, even though only tangential to the main thrust, and might have made more sense as an introductory background. Intriguing fact that Homo has come and gone here many times over the course of time

This is a very readable and interesting account of how climate change affected successive waves of immigration into Britain by early humans over the last 800,000 years or so. I was however somewhat dismayed to find the last chapter devoted entirely to an admonitary account of global warning - complete with a knee-jerk "liberal" jab at George Bush. My negative reaction is not because I have any doubts about the reality of global warning; it is because I find this type of scientific/political "crossover" to be inappropriate and dishonest in a book that purports to be purely scientific. The author has as much right to political advocacy as anyone, but not - in my view - in a book subtitled " The incredible story of human life in Britain"

You can't go wrong with a book that introduces you to the vole clck.