Suggested Readings

Chapter 6: The Earliest Hominines

Ciochon, R. L., & Fleagle, J. G. (Eds.). (1993). The Human Evolution source book. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

In the first four parts of this book, the editors have assembled articles to present data and survey different theories on the evolution and diversification of the earliest hominines. A short editors’ introduction to each section places the various articles in context.

Conroy, G. C. (1997). Reconstructing Human Origins:  A modern synthesis. New York: Norton.

This text devotes two chapters to Australopithecus that are reasonably up-to-date and are comprehensive in their description of the various fossils, discussion of environmental considerations, and coverage of competing interpretations of the material.

Johanson, D., & Edey, M. (1981). Lucy: The beginnings of humankind. New York: Simon & Schuster.

This book tells the story of the discovery of Lucy and the other fossils of Australopithecus afarensis, and how they have enhanced our understanding of the early stages of human evolution. It reads like a first-rate detective story, while giving an excellent description of Australopithecines and an accurate account of how          paleoanthropologists analyze their fossils.