Man, Past and Present

"Man, Past and Present" by A. H. (Augustus Henry) Keane, is a broad exploration of humanity's story, starting from ancient times and stretching into the author's present. Keane, writing in the 1800s, examines the evolutionary path of people, paying close attention to how different groups grew both physically, culturally and how they adapted to the environments around them. The book starts by laying the groundwork for understanding human evolution, suggesting that the many types of humans we see today all came from one original group that lived long ago. Initial chapters talk about ancient travels, important fossil discoveries, and debates among scientists about the origins of humans. Keane argues that the different types of people we see are a result of adjusting to varied environments over long stretches of time, leading into a detailed analysis of classification of diverse groups of mankind and their histories.