The Illystrated History of Early Man is an authoritative, accessible, and richly illustrated introduction to the complex and by no means fully elucidated story of the development of early man. Drawing on many disciplimes, notably archeology, paleontology, and geology, it shows how the first hunter-gatherer groups existed in China, Java, and Europe as well as Africa; fire may first have been harnessed as a tool in China. The short, powerful, cave-dwelling Neanderthaler flourished about 60-40,000 years ago, his body adapted to Ice Age conditions, while Cor-Magnon man, between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago, was physically indistinguishable from people of today. From the earliest fossil skulls and most primitive stone tools, through the cave paintings of Lascaux and the megalithic monuments of France and Ireland, to the sophisticated steelements of the Near East, this fascinating book tells a rewarding and colorful story.