The Story of the World in 100 Species

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Description

In this epic book, Christopher Lloyd leads us on an extraordinary journey, from the birth of life to the present day, as he attempts to explain, in a jargon-free way, the phenomena that we call life on Earth. Lloyd starts off on the early Earth, before man, when loose strands of genetic code swarmed over the planet, and moves on to explore the creatures that evolved in the murky deep and crept up on the shore to become pioneers of life on land. He then investigates the world after man and how the co-evolution of humans and a range of other key species has transformed the planet over the last 12,000 years. In the process, he identifies the hundred most influential species that have ever lived, with candidates as diverse as slime, sea scorpions, dragonflies, potatoes, ants, tulips, sheep and grapes. Finally, the species are ranked into a table of influence to reveal those that have most changed life on Earth.

This beautifully illustrated, wide-ranging book provides an entertaining and eye-opening insight into the story of our world, mankinds place in nature, and our pivotal relationship with the Earth itself: past, present and future.

Reviews

Lloyd shares the history of each of his entrants with casual enthusiasm and a sense of wonder, in articles that stand alone well for readers interested in browsing and which together give a sense of biodiversity as a source of joy. - Publishers Weekly

A truly comprehensive story of our planet that's both enjoyable and eye opening. --Mother Nature Network on WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED

A gripping re-telling of the most extraordinary story ever told. --Independent on WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED

An ambitious history of the planet from the Big Bang to the present day. --Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year on WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED

Compelling . . . remarkably far-reaching and even-handed. --Sunday Times on WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED

In this eloquent and richly illustrated volume, Lloyd, who also authored the planetary history What on Earth Happened, compiles a veritable who's who of organisms that he contends are the 100 most important species or groups in the planet's history. --Science News on WHAT ON EARTH EVOLVED

Author Bio

Christopher Lloyd read history at Cambridge, where he graduated with a double-first, before becoming technology correspondent for the Sunday Times. In 1994 he won the Texaco award for the Science Journalist of the Year. After leaving journalism, he ran a number of internet and educational publishing businesses. In 2006 he decided to home-school his two daughters, and the inspiration to write his first book, What On Earth Happened, published in 2008, came during a four-month tour of Europe with his family.

whatonearthbooks.com / @wallbook