Books like The time before history by Colin Hiram Tudge

Dennett explains Darwin's theory of natural selection in accessible terms.

Reveals the antiquity of man by describing prehistoric man's physical remains and discussing his advancing ability to make implements.

Since the 1960s, spectacular advances have been made in the study of prehistory. It is now possible to reconstruct the behavior and social life of pre-human ancestors as much as two million years ago. These findings have forced us to revise dramatically our view of human evolution, the study of which is only complete through an integrated perspective that emphasizes biological and social factors. Archaeology, primate studies, genetics, palaeontology, hunter-gatherer studies, and anthropology have all contributed to significant breakthroughs in our understanding of human origins, necessitating an approach to prehistory that is not tied to a particularly disciplinary approach. Stressing the importance of culture as a formative agent in the evolutionary emergence of modern humans, Society in Prehistory provides an impressive, interdisciplinary, and deeply informed survey of prehistory. Individual chapters focus on culture and evolution; biology and culture; primate societies; the first hominids; tools and culture; the economics of foraging; modern humans and human behavior; sex and the division of labor; and sexuality and social life. The book reveals that, while social behavior is biologically grounded, it is not biologically determined.

Colin Renfrew’s concise survey of human prehistory traces the emergence of human societies from early hominids to the dawn of writing, highlighting archaeological, geological, and genetic breakthroughs that illuminate our ancient past.

From the coming of Stone Age man to the fall of the Roman Empire, the prehistory of Europe is often seen as a mysterious, fascinating, and by nature, indistinct phase of human development. Based on an entirely new concept designed to bring this period into sharper focus, The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe is a history of both man and the environment, looking at the changing landscape of Europe and the way man has responded and adapted to it over the millennia. Beautifully illustrated, it provides a complete survey of the development of European society from the continent's earliest evidence of human population seven hundred thousand years ago, through the first farmers to barbarian and Iron Age societies, and the impact and eventual decline of Roman power in the eighth century AD. The twelve chapters focus on the principal periods and areas of innovation and culture, such as the Minoan and Mycenean civilizations, showing not only how these societies developed but their relationship to each other and the landscape. Each chapter is written by an expert in his field and is accompanied by a rich assortment of colour and black-and-white plates, maps, and drawings. A useful time chart shows the developments of societies and their techniques against the background of events both historical and geographical. This unique and fascinating book will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the early history, art, and archaeology of Europe, and the changing face of the European landscape.