A captivating exploration of the natural history of the first four billion years of life on and within the earth, by one of Britain's most brilliant science writers.

What do we know about the history of our planet before the arrival of humans? Most of us have a vague impression of a swirling mass of dust destined to become a volcanic sphere, temporarily inhabited by dinosaurs, then by mammoths, and finally by our own hairy ancestors. This book, aimed at the curious and intelligent but perhaps slightly uninformed reader, brilliantly unveils these lingering concepts. At the end of the book, we understand the complexity of the history of life on earth and the complexity of how it has been comprehended, perhaps unlike any other single publication. The result is fascinating.

Pages: 416, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm