What on Earth Happened? The Complete Story of the Planet, Life, and People from the Big Bang to the Present Day

Author: Christopher Lloyd

Most world history books don’t give you the whole story, instead focusing on specific events either before humans came along or after they multiplied across the Earth. Though these books have their place in historical literature, it’s hard to get context about a period in history when what came before or after it is completely left out.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know the entire story of history, from start to finish?

The author covers a vast range of territory, including how the Earth was formed, the rise of man, migration, language, art, transportation, religion, government, global conflicts and medicine, among other things.

But don’t let the breadth of the book’s subject material intimidate you. Lloyd does a great job of parsing the planet’s history into four, easily digestible parts: life before man, the Stone Age, ancient history, and modern history. Each chunk is then broken down even further into a total of 42 chapters, so it’s easy to pick back up and start a new chapter even after letting it fall by the wayside for a few days.

The author avoids the common pitfall of dumbing down history for the sake of brevity by employing a journalistic writing style that emphasizes straightforward storytelling, which makes it easy for both children and adults alike to enjoy.

COLD ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD’S FROZEN PLACES

Author: Bill Streever

From avalanches to glaciers, from seals to snowflakes, and from Shackleton's expedition to "The Year Without Summer," Bill Streever journeys through history, myth, geography, and ecology in a year-long search for cold--real, icy, 40-below cold. In July he finds it while taking a dip in a 35-degree Arctic swimming hole; in September while excavating our planet's ancient and not so ancient ice ages; and in October while exploring hibernation habits in animals, from humans to wood frogs to bears.

A scientist whose passion for cold runs red hot, Streever is a wondrous guide: he conjures woolly mammoth carcasses and the ice-age Clovis tribe from melting glaciers, and he evokes blizzards so wild readers may freeze--limb by vicarious limb.

Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin’s Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives

Author: David Sloan

What is the biological reason for gossip?
For laughter? For the creation of art?
Why do dogs have curly tails?
What can microbes tell us about morality?

These and many other questions are tackled by renowned evolutionist David Sloan Wilson in this witty and groundbreaking new book. With stories that entertain as much as they inform, Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution and shows how, properly understood, they can illuminate the length and breadth of creation, from the origin of life to the nature of religion. Now everyone can move beyond the sterile debates about creationism and intelligent design to share Darwin’s panoramic view of animal and human life, seamlessly connected to each other.

Evolution, as Wilson explains, is not just about dinosaurs and human origins, but about why all species behave as they do—from beetles that devour their own young, to bees that function as a collective brain, to dogs that are smarter in some respects than our closest ape relatives. And basic evolutionary principles are also the foundation for humanity’s capacity for symbolic thought, culture, and morality.

In example after example, Wilson sheds new light on Darwin’s grand theory and how it can be applied to daily life. By turns thoughtful, provocative, and daringly funny, Evolution for Everyone addresses some of the deepest philosophical and social issues of this or any age. In helping us come to a deeper understanding of human beings and our place in the world, it might also help us to improve that world.