The History of Life: A Very Short Introduction

This is a topic that many shy away from, as it seems like it would be too difficult for the average bear, but Benton presents it all in a concise and entertaining manner that is very accessible, even if you don't have a biology or paleontology background. It's a fascinating subject, and Benton has a great sense of humor - the very understated Brit type.Highly recommend it, and I read it in only a few settings. He covers a lot of things and yet it all flows easily and is very understandable and well written. There's a reason he's so well-known in the field of paleontology - he really knows his stuff and is able to present it in a concise manner anyone can understand. Really opens one's eyes to the true mysteries of how we all came to be.

this is a decent introduction

Interesting book about the eras of life. I like the theories how dna and cells formed from a soup of natural chemicals in water heated by volcanic vents. He talks about how various life forms progressed through the ages from simple cells to corals, early sea creatures, walking onto land, the Permian extinction which killed 96% of all species, and of course humans. Was easy for a non scientist to understand. The only drawback is that it didn't have pictures of the life forms, plants and animals talked about, so I had to keep running to my computer for images.

This was a fun read for me. I've been out of college for 44 years and my major was accounting. My interest in The History of Life is a continuation of updating my knowledge at least to 2009 about new theories of life and death.

A wonderful journey

I really like the concept behind this series. For those of us without much knowledge of the topics, the "Very Short Introduction" books provide a good introduction. Benton's story is a narrative, but is broken down into eight sections based on major developments in evolution, such as the origin of life, the development of sexual reproduction, the major catastrophes that all but wiped out life on earth, and the origin of humans, etc. He also intersperses discussions of methodologies that paleontologists and others use to develop their findings as well as brief histories of the development of certain theories. I had only two problems with the book. One was a proliferation of references to various prehistoric flora and fauna, each with its own barely pronounceable scientific name. The other was that I read the book on my Kindle. This meant that page sizes were reduced and the print on some of the charts was too small to be read. This was particularly important for the chart that outlined the different geologic ages. Benton made repeated reference to these ages and for those of us who do not know the difference between mezozoic and Jurrasic, being unable to reference this chart was an ongoing handicap.

The book as well as the font size is tiny. Don't spend your money.

It's been a while...still thought there were five kingdoms. Glad I'm getting caught up with the more current information. Very easy to follow his easy going style.

This should be a must read for most people without expertise in the matter. The perspective that an overview of this nature gives should not be understated. Immensity readable and important.

A fascinating read that contains something that grips you in each part. A very easy read despite the detail and depth and I recommend it to everyone

A scholarly, serious, but accessible, and occasionally even entertaining treatment of a 'topic' that surely must be about as difficult an assignment as a mere H. Sapiens a can imagine.

非常にわかりやすく説明してくれている本だった。このシリーズは色々と勉強になる本が発刊されているが、特にこの本は解りやすい。

This is an excellent review of our current knowledge about the origins of life. Most of the scientific terms are defined or well exemplified but I think that it might make difficult reading for someone with little background in science. It will be a very useful reference book in my library!