This book will combine an expert author with the best facial reconstructions by renowned paleo artist John Gurche, a consultant to National Geographic, The Smithsonian and Spielberg's Jurassic Park Our Evolution book takes all life as its subject; with a separate book we can concentrate on the evolution of humans - for many people the stars of the show. The upsurge of creationism in the US - inevitably focusing on trying to prove that humans aren't descended from apes - guarantees this subject will always be newsworthy. Interest in our origins continues to grow - as science progresses we are tracing our origins further and further back. This is the ultimate in tracing your family tree. The subject will be given a boost by the 2009 anniversary of the Darwin's Origin of Species and the BBC's "Year of Science" in 2010

Dr Douglas Palmer is a science writer and lecturer. His books include The Neanderthal, which accompanied the acclaimed Channel 4 series, Earth Time, The Atlas of the Prehistoric World and Prehistoric Past Revealed (MB). He is a contributor to a variety of publications including New Scientist, Science and BBC Wildlife Magazine. He is currently working on Evolution for Mitchell Beazley (2009).

PART ONE: Meet the Ancestors We travel back 19 million years to the furthest branches of our family tree to find the 20 or more species that make up our ancestors. We concentrate on 10 of the key ones, creating a unique family gallery for our humankind. faint traces Our most distant ancestors, from Proconsul to Sahelanthropus tchadensis african pioneers The first bipeds, from Australopithecus afarensis to A. africanus early man The first toolmakers and hunter-gatherers, from Homo habilis to Homo ergaster later man The other faces of humanity, from Homo neanderthalensis to Homo floresiensis PART TWO: The Human Odyssey We trace the incredible journey of our species, Homo sapiens, from Africa to occupy the world, arriving in New Zealand as recently as 1,000 years ago. first steps The great African dispersal the big trek From the Mediterranean to Australia feature:? The Origins of Art northward bound Travelling into Europe coming to america From Siberia to the Americas feature:? The Origins of Belief peopling the pacific The first New Zealanders Glossary Index