Was Darwin wrong when he traced our origins to Africa? The Real Planet of the Apes makes the explosive claim that it was in Europe, not Africa, where apes evolved the most important hallmarks of our human lineage—such as dexterous hands and larger brains. In this compelling and accessible book, David Begun, one of the world’s leading paleoanthropologists, transports readers to an epoch in the remote past when the Earth was home to many migratory populations of ape species.
Drawing on the latest astonishing discoveries in the fossil record as well as his own experiences conducting field expeditions across Europe and Asia, Begun provides a sweeping evolutionary history of great apes and humans. He tells the story of how one of the earliest members of our evolutionary group—a new kind of primate called Proconsul—evolved from lemur-like monkeys in the primeval forests of Africa. Begun vividly describes how, over the next 10 million years, these hominoids expanded into Europe and Asia and evolved climbing and hanging adaptations, longer maturation times, and larger brains, setting the stage for the emergence of humans. As the climate deteriorated in Europe around 10 million years ago, these apes either died out or migrated south, reinvading the African continent and giving rise to the lineages of the gorilla, chimpanzee, and, ultimately, the human.
Presenting startling new insights about our fossil ape ancestors, The Real Planet of the Apes is a book that fundamentally alters our understanding of human origins.
Awards and Recognition
- One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2016
"[The Real Planet of the Apes] is enthralling, making accessible an absolutely critical period of human evolution and scientific debates surrounding the interpretation of its evidence—including [Begun's] own controversial thesis."—Steven Mithen, New York Review of Books
"Begun's overarching goal is to promote his hypothesis that the ancestor of the African apes and humans may actually have evolved in Europe instead of Africa. He builds a strong case for this not-yet-mainstream idea while making it abundantly clear that he is open to data that would prove him wrong. Begun's passion is evident in both his writing and his science."—Publishers Weekly
"Begun's book provides the ‘on-the-ground,' ‘point-of-view-of-a-dedicated-specialist' perspective that I find really valuable. . . . The Real Planet of the Apes is written in a non-academic, friendly tone, is well designed and well illustrated, and should be obtained by those seriously interested in fossil primates, primate diversity and evolution, and in mammal history more generally."—Darren Naish, ScientificAmerican.com's, Tetrapod Zoology
"The questions of where, when, and how our species evolved are fascinating."—Kirkus
"There is much to link in this enjoyable book. A highlight is its introduction. . . . Begun writes in a friendly, almost conversational style throughout. . . . Perhaps the best advice that I can offer is a paraphrase of the immortal words uttered by Heston's character in the eponymous film: 'Get your stinking paws on this book, you damn dirty ape!'"—Simon Underdown, Times Higher Education
"Begun bucks prevailing wisdom thought in his book, which theorizes that our ancestors left Africa and migrated to Europe for 10 million years. Backed by 30 years of field work and research, Begun's theory is worth a look."—Chicago Tribune
"Begun, a leading expert on ape evolution, has produced an engaging, superbly written account of the evolutionary history of apes. The book starts 35 million years ago and progresses through time, introducing the most important fossil discoveries along the way. The text is enlivened by the author's personal recollections and anecdotes about historical events and figures and the scientists he encountered during the course of his research over the past three decades. The brisk pacing of the narrative, the depth of knowledge presented, and Begun's ability to convey difficult concepts simply and with minimal technical detail contribute to the book's success."—Choice
"In The Real Planet of the Apes, David Begun brings the day-to-day work of palaeoanthropology to life by interspersing scientific facts, ideas and explanations with recollections of collaborations and serendipitous meetings with other researchers."—Sarah Elton, Primate Eye
"This provocative, engaging, and beautifully written book is a must-read for anyone interested in how and why apes—including humans—got to be the way they are. Begun not only summarizes with clarity the complex evolutionary history of apes, but also challenges us to think differently about ape and human origins."—Daniel E. Lieberman, author of The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease and The Evolution of the Human Head
"In The Real Planet of the Apes, David Begun persuasively and entertainingly argues that we will never understand who we are without knowing the history of the larger ape group from which we evolved. His highly personal survey brilliantly complements more conventional accounts of human origins."—Ian Tattersall, author of The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack: And Other Cautionary Tales from Human Evolution
"This is a masterful book by a leading scholar that provides an authoritative and engaging introduction to the evolution of apes—including humans. The Real Planet of the Apes is punctuated with wonderful bits of paleontological history and anecdotes about Begun's own experiences in the field. No other book covers the topic in such a coherent and comprehensive way."—John G. Fleagle, author of Primate Adaptation and Evolution
"This book tackles what is perhaps the most timely question in paleoanthropology, and also one of the thorniest—our ape origins and what they tell us about ourselves. There is no more knowledgeable, careful, or thorough a scholar of ape evolution than David Begun. This is a story that needs to be told."—Carol V. Ward, University of Missouri
