Why are some kinds of organism species-rich and others species-poor? How do new species arise and why do some go extinct? Why do organisms grow and behave the way they do? This book provides an introduction to evolutionary ecology, the science that brings ecology and evolution together to help understand biological diversity. In a concise, readable format, Peter Mayhew covers the entire breadth of the subject, from life histories and the evolution of sex, to speciation and macroecology. Many emerging fields are also introduced, such as metabolic ecology, the evolution of population dynamics, and the evolution of global ecology. Discovering Evolutionary Ecology highlights the connections between these different subject areas, and for the first time paints a picture of a truly integrated field. It illustrates the research tools utilized, and demonstrates how advances in one area can spur on developments elsewhere when scientists combine evolutionary and ecological knowledge. To maximize accessibility, the book assumes only a basic knowledge of biology, includes a comprehensive glossary, and contains almost no maths. Each chapter provides suggestions for further reading, and there is also an extensive reference list. Ideal as an introduction to evolutionary ecology for undergraduates, this book will also interest established researchers, providing a broad and up-to-date context for their work.

Human Evolution provides a comprehensive overview of hominid evolution, synthesising data and approaches from fields as diverse as physical anthropology, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, genetics, archaeology, psychology and philosophy. The book starts with chapters on evolution, population genetics, systematics, and the methods for constructing evolutionary trees. These are followed by a comprehensive review of the fossil history of human evolution since our divergence from the apes. Subsequent chapters cover more recent data, both fossil and molecular, relating to the evolution of modern humans. A final section describes the evolution of culture, language, art, and morality. The authors are leading experts in two complementary fields of scholarship, physical anthropology and molecular evolution. Throughout the book they successfully integrate their expertise in evolutionary theory, phylogenetics, genomics, cultural evolution, language, aesthetics and morality to produce a cutting edge textbook, copiously illustrated and with an extensive and up-to-date bibliography. It will be suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate level students taking courses on human evolution within departments of biology, anthropology, psychology and philosophy. The book will also appeal to a more general audience seeking a readable, up-to-date and inclusive treatment of human origins and evolution.

Complete, definitive study of the controversial French prophet: critical biography, historical background, and parallel texts in English and French of all the prophecies, most of the famous—and infamous—interpretations, and much more.

My object in proposing topics was to avoid settled areas of discussion and ‘bounded’ subjects. Hence, this collection contains no ‘major author’ essays—even though citations and analyses of writings by Chaucer, Gower, Langland, and Lydgate constantly recur. It contains some ‘genre’ chapters, but wilfully new ones that violate customary categorizations: ‘Vision, Image, Text’ (embracing both secular visions and religious revelations) and ‘Speculative Genealogies’ (embracing romances, chronicles, and other narrative forms). Although its central subject is Middle English literary texts, it frequently sallies into Old and Early Modern English for its illustrative instances, and extra- or apparently ‘non-literary’ writings (‘Learning to Live’, ‘The Poetics of Practicality’) receive generous—even repeated—attention.