Shelfology Book Pairing

An Unnatural History

by Elizabeth Kolbert

"Over the last half billion years, there have been five major mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on Earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around the cataclysm is us. In this book the author tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. She provides a moving account of the disappearances of various species occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up to Lyell and Darwin, and through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human". -- Back cover.

A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari

**Over 1 million copies sold** **The Sunday Times #1 bestseller** FIRE gave us power FARMING made us hungry for more MONEY gave us purpose SCIENCE made us deadly This is the thrilling account of our extraordinary history - from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.