The world until yesterday : what can we learn from traditional societies?

Summary: Diamond reveals how tribal societies offer an extraordinary window into how our ancestors lived for millions of years -- until virtually yesterday, in evolutionary terms -- and provide unique, often overlooked insights into human nature.

Record details

ISBN: 9780670024810
ISBN: 0670024813
ISBN: 9780670785896 (export ed.)
ISBN: 067078589X (export ed.)
Physical Description: print
xi, 499 pages, [32] pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 25 cm.
Publisher: New York : Viking, c2012.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 471-481) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Prologue : at the airport -- pt. 1. Setting the stage by dividing space. Friends, enemies, strangers, and traders -- pt. 2. Peace and war. Compensation for the death of a child ; A short chapter, about a tiny war ; A longer chapter, about many wars -- pt. 3. Young and old. Bringing up children ; The treatment of old people : cherish, abandon, or kill? -- pt. 4. Danger and response. Constructive paranoia ; Lions and other dangers -- pt. 5. Religion, language, and health. What electric eels tell us about the evolution of religion ; Speaking in many tongues ; Salt, sugar, fat, and sloth -- Epilogue : at another airport.