The Ancestor's Tale
First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Richard Dawkins & Yan Wong |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Evolutionary biology |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin (US) Weidenfeld & Nicolson (UK) |
Publication date | 1st edition 2004, 2nd edition 2016 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 673 pages in 1st edition and expanded to 800 pages in 2nd ed. |
| ISBN | 978-0544859937 |
| OCLC | 1062329664 |
| 576.8 22 | |
| LC Class | QH361 .D39 2004 |
| Preceded by | A Devil's Chaplain |
| Followed by | The God Delusion |
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life is a popular science book by Richard Dawkins and Yan Wong in which the history of life is retraced in reverse chronological order. A growing band of species meet their most recent common ancestors (concestors) at 40 rendezvous points. First published in 2004, it was updated in 2016 to reflect recent discoveries. Many reviewers described it as Dawkins's magnum opus.
Dawkins dedicated the book to John Maynard Smith: “He saw a draft and graciously accepted the dedication, which now, sadly, must become In Memoriam.”