The Human Story is a guide to man's ancestors, from the earliest hominids such as Sahelanthropus, dating back 6-7 million years, through to our own species, Homo sapiens. Over the past twenty years there has been an explosion of species' names in the story of human evolution, due both to new discoveries and to a growing understanding of the diversity that existed in the past. Drawing on this new information, as well as his own considerable expertise and practical experience, Charles Lockwood explains in clear, easy-to-follow language, what each of the key species represents and how it contributes to our knowledge of human evolution. He describes the main sites, the individual fossils, the people and stories involved in the key discoveries and the basic facts about each species - what it looked like, how and when it lived and what it ate as well as explaining how we know all this. There are drawings, photographs and maps and charts throughout to illustrate and enhance the text and help demystify the fascinating cast of characters who hold the secret to man's origins.