The Variety of Life can be read at many levels. Not least it is an extraordinary inventory - an illustrated summary of all the Earthly creatures that have ever lived. Whatever living thing you come across, from E coli to an oak tree or an elephant, The Variety of Life will show you what kind of creature it is, and how it relates to all others. Yet there are far too many creatures to present merely as a catalogue. The list of species already described is vast enough - nearly two million - but there could in reality be as ...
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The Variety of Life can be read at many levels. Not least it is an extraordinary inventory - an illustrated summary of all the Earthly creatures that have ever lived. Whatever living thing you come across, from E coli to an oak tree or an elephant, The Variety of Life will show you what kind of creature it is, and how it relates to all others. Yet there are far too many creatures to present merely as a catalogue. The list of species already described is vast enough - nearly two million - but there could in reality be as many as 30 million different animals, plants, fungi and protists - and perhaps another 400 million different bacteria and archaea. In the 4,000 million years or so since life first began on Earth, there could have been several thousand billion different species. The only way to keep track of so many is to classify - placing similar creatures into categories, which nest within larger categories, and so on. As the centuries have passed, so it has become clear that the different groups are far more diverse than had ever been appreciated. Thus Linneus in the 18th century placed all living things in just two kingdoms, Animals and Plants. By the 1950s this had become five kingdoms - with fungi, protists, and bacteria hived off into their own separate groups. But leading biologists today acknowledge three vastly different domains, each divided into many kingdoms - so that animals and plants, spectacular though they are, are just a fragment of the whole. The Variety of Life explains the means by which systematists have attempted such a mammoth classification of so many various creatures - which in turn leads us into some of the most intriguing and knottiest areas of modern biology: evolutionary theory, molecular genetics, and the history of biological thought. Finally, however, The Variety of Life can simply be seen as a celebration. We should all share Miranda's pleasure in Shakespeare's Tempest - 'How many goodly creatures are there here!' - and feel, as she did, what a privilege it is to share this planet with such wonders. Their fate is in our hands; and first, we must begin to appreciate them.
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Add this copy of The Variety of Life: a Survey and a Celebration of All to cart. $2.17, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Oxford University Press.
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Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of The Variety of Life: a Survey and a Celebration of All to cart. $3.10, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Variety of Life: a Survey and a Celebration of All to cart. $3.10, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Variety of Life: a Survey and a Celebration of All to cart. $3.10, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Variety of Life: a Survey and a Celebration of All to cart. $5.77, very good condition, Sold by BookHolders rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gambrills, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Variety of Life: a Survey and a Celebration of All to cart. $6.39, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Oxford University Press.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Variety of Life: a Survey and a Celebration of All to cart. $7.99, good condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Oxford University Press.
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Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have some wear or limited writing/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Variety of Life: a Survey and a Celebration of All to cart. $10.45, good condition, Sold by Walker Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tempe, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Oxford University Press.
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Good. HARDCOVER. PLEASE NOTE THAT CD-ROM components, access cards/codes, digital license, and other supplemental materials are NOT guaranteed to be included for used items. If their inclusion is essential, please inquire before purchasing to determine whether they are included. Moderate wear to cover/edges/corners. Cardboard up to a dime size showing on corners. Binding and cover solidly connected. School markings on/inside book. Some markings/highlighting on/inside book, none of which detracts from content. Black-out marks inside covers of book, a few minor rips to page edges.
Add this copy of The Variety of Life to cart. $12.00, very good condition, Sold by AardBooks rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fitzwilliam, NH, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Oxford U. Press.