Life on Earth: A Natural History

I love Attenborough's nature stuff and was severely disapppointed to find that this affordable (paperback) version of this title is nearly unreadable. It looks like someone just took a hard-back copy, shrunk the font till it requires a strong magnifying glass, then trimmed off the page margins. The resulting volume is awful. It should have been re-typeset, with adequate page margins; would have been a thicker book but readable. What a gyp!

In this unique book, David Attenborough has undertaken a history of nature, from one-celled organisms in the primeval slime more than 3000 million years ago to modern day's humans. The book presents a chronological account of the life on planet Earth over a period of 3,500 million years. Life on Earth is an astonishing array of characters drawn from the whole range of living animals the world over. Attenborough takes the reader around the world with him into jungles, deserts and remote mountains. The book's 13 chapters follow the sequence of main events in the evolution of life on earth. The book details the emergence of one-celled, then multi-celled organisms; the movement of life from sea to land; adaptation to life in the air; the development of warm-blooded animals; the transition between ground life and tree life; and finally the evolution of man himself.

As usual David Attenborough delivers. This book is beautifully written and has breathtaking pictures. Attenborough makes any subject interesting and easy to read. I have learned so much from his writting, and have experienced worlds beyond my reach through the pictures.

A really interesting and informative book by a wonderful author, who has a real talent in writing. I found it simple and easy, (in a good way) and was sad to turn the last pages. It also has beautiful pictures.

Thirteen chapters matching the thirteen programs of the BBC series on which it was based. Follows the evolution of life on earth, presenting fascinating observations about the likely functional reasons life unfolded as it has. Offers the grand sweep of life in an engaging and integrated presentation, with a very readable and even charming tone, and including more than 100 excellent color photos. TOC: 1 the infinite variety 2 building bodies 3 the first forests 4 the swarming hordes 5 the conquest of the waters 6 the invasion fo the land 7 a watertight skin 8 lords of the air 9 eggs, pouches, and placentas 10 theme and variation 11 the hunters and the hunted 12 a life in the trees 13 the compulsive communicators

Wonderful book about the evolution of life on earth, based of the TV program by the BBC. Lovely pictures. David Athenborough bring to life earth's history. A must in any home.