Review of "Before the Dawn" by Nicholas Wade
by tdaxp ~ May 2nd, 2007
The front cover of New York Times-reporter Nicholas Wade’s new book, Before the Dawn, contains a quote by E.O. Wilson: “By far the best book I have ever read on humanity’s deep history.” I couldn’t agree more. Before the Dawn is more informative than Nature via Nurture, more readable than The Blank Slate, and proves (contra The Emperor’s New Clothes) that popularizations of population genetics don’t have to be deceitful and revolting.
The Lost History of Our Ancestors
Before the Dawn dwells on several major events in the human story: separation from chimpanzee-ancestors, the end of seperate sex hierarchies with the introduction of pair bonding, physically modern human, behaviorally modern human, and socially modern humans. From a founder population fo 150, the first behaviorally modern human beings who left Africa at the Gate of Grief would conquer three other human species (Neanderthals, Erecti, and Hobbits) and within fifty thousand years spread an African species all over the face of the world.
Every chapter in Before the Dawn is worth reading, but several stand out as some of the best in the history of scientific nonfiction: “Genetics & Genesis” outlines the author’s plan of attack, “Genesis” describes mitochondrial Eve and Y-chromosome Adam, “Exodus” tells of the seafaring conquest of the Coasts in the face of Erecti resistance to Australia, the second truly human continent, “Race” addresses the major family groupings of man, “Language” applies genetic technology to recovering the time and place for the first human tongue, and “Evolution” recaps the book and looks forward to the next human species.
Nick Wade is a science columnist for the New York Times, and his journalist touch is fully worked. I learned more about the Thomas Jefferson- Sally Hemmings twist than I did before, including that Sally his the half-sister of Tom’s first wife. The unique haplotypes of Icelanders and Jews are discussed. and the interesting that the current races appear not to have existed 15,000 years ago give one much to chew on.
Before the Dawn is very up to date, and includes fair criticism of Evolutionary Psychology that comes from our increased understanding of genetics. When John Tooby and Leda Cosmides founded EP, it was reasonable to presuppose that substantive human evolution had ended by the late stone age. That assumption is no longer tenable. We are not modern humans with stone-aged minds. We are modern humans with modern minds.
This great book has already made a buzz. John Derbyshire of The National Review loves it, while Nature hates it.
Before the Dawn is available for $15.72 from Amazon.com, and for $19.96 from Barnes & Noble.
[1]...
May 4th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Great review Dan!
January 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Thanks guys!
I just finished “A Farewell to Alms” [1], which takes the story up to the dawn of Industrialization. Check that one out too!
[1] http://www.tdaxp.com/archive/2008/01/20/review-of-a-farewell-to-alms-by-gregory-clark.html
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:00 am
Ditto! Thanks – added to my Amazon wish list.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:00 am
wow! talk about a 'glowing review'! just added it to my reading list.
January 31st, 2008 at 12:00 am
Very good book, a must read!!
April 7th, 2008 at 1:29 am
I finally read this. I loved it. Next up: “A Farewell to Alms” – well in a few days anyways.
April 7th, 2008 at 1:50 am
[...] Book Notes: Nicholas Wade’s – “Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors” I bought and finally read Nicholas Wade’s – “Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors” and catching references to it around the blogosphere (e.g. TDAXP) [...]
April 8th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Both are great books… “Farewell to Alms” [1,2] reads like the lost last chapter of “Before the Dawn,” in the same way that “The World is Flat” reads as the lost last chapter for “The Lexus and the Olive Tree.”
If you like one, you’ll like the other!
[1] http://www.tdaxp.com/archive/2008/01/20/review-of-a-farewell-to-alms-by-gregory-clark.html
[2] http://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Alms-Economic-History-Princeton/dp/0691121354
May 6th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Sure enough, this is on the list of “suggested” reading for my Physical Anthropology and World Pre-History classes I am taking this fall. I will be buying this thanks to this review and the praise of PS.
May 7th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Eddie,
Good to hear!
Zenpundit is hosting an interesting discussion on some of these topics [1], btw.
[1] http://zenpundit.com/?p=3097
June 20th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
This is fullblown crap!
The cultural marxist’s view of these time periods simply do not agree with the author.
What we see is that the author simply has forgotten the essential truth:
Man is a unique animal on a separate and unique course from any other dna controlled organism-Culture is what makes us who we are. If we can control culture we can control the evolution of man!
Dna and genetics are bourgeois science and therefore are invalid.
Conclusion: The Newworld Man will emerge from the Revolution!
June 21st, 2009 at 8:42 am
Dan,
I have moved this to the top of my must read list based on your excellent review.
June 21st, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Mr. Tim
You are obviously overeducated and underworldly.
It is easy to to speculate from the Ivory tower.
But you trip hard.
Try starting your car without bourgeois science.
Keep us posted on how far you get!
Dantavius Eller, Yadkinville, NC