Although the idea that all human beings are descended from Adam is a long-standing conviction in the West, another version of this narrative exists: human beings inhabited the Earth before, or alongside, Adam, and their descendants still occupy the planet. In this engaging and provocative work, David N. Livingstone traces the history of the idea of non-adamic humanity, and the debates surrounding it, from the Middle Ages to the present day. From a multidisciplinary perspective, Livingstone examines how this alternative idea has been used for cultural, religious, and political purposes. He reveals how what began as biblical criticism became a theological apologetic to reconcile religion with science-evolution in particular-and was later used to support arguments for white supremacy and segregation. From heresy to orthodoxy, from radicalism to conservatism, from humanitarianism to racism, Adam's Ancestors tells an intriguing tale of twists and turns in the cultural politics surrounding the age-old question, "Where did we come from?"

As David Livingstone shows in this fascinating book, which carefully traces the history of speculations about Adam's ancestors, debates about human origins have always had, and continue to have, moral and political dimensions. Sciences Humaines 2009 Livingstone traces in detail a fascinating and sometimes troubling story... A book to ponder. -- Ernan McMullin Tablet 2008 The mark of the true scholar, the really inventive one, is that he or she shows us that there are problems and issues worth discussing that we simply did not know about or even speculate about... I really recommend David Livingstone's book. It informs and leaves you with more questions than when you started. What more could you ask of scholarship? -- Michael Ruse Books and Culture: A Christian Review 2008 Provides both college-level and general-interest lending libraries with a fine history of non-Adamic humanity and the debates surrounding it. Midwest Book Review 2008 Adam's Ancestors is a model of meticulous historical scholarship. It is greatly enhanced by a geographer's sensitivity to the role of place in intellectual history. -- Donald A. Yerxa Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 2009 The amazing scope of Adam's Ancestors contributes to its appeal, and it can be highly recommended both for its sweeping synthesis and for the nature of the questions it raises in the mind of the reader. -- John M. Lynch British Journal of the History of Science 2009 Richly detailed, amply illustrated work. -- J David Pleins Reports of the National Center for Science Education 2009 Adam's Ancestors is a very well researched history of the idea that there were multiple creations prior to that recorded in Genesis. The text is extremely well referenced and is an excellent source for anyone wanting to learn about this topic. -- Heather J. Edgar Journal of Anthropological Research 2009 Engaging and important book. -- Mitchell B. Hart Journal of Ecclesiastical History 2009 Adam's Ancestors offers a rich discussion, ranging from the sober and serious to the wonderfully bizarre, representing the best summary of pre-Adamite materials to date. -- Brad D. Hume Isis 2009 The book is rich in detail, revels in marvelously obscure figures, and brings long forgotten characters to life. It is ideal for graduate students and professional scholars and a must for those interested in the politics of racial and ethnic identity, as well as the history of biblical exegesis. -- Craig R. Prentiss American Historical Review 2009 What I finally took away from this fascinating book is that far from being an eccentric and obscure debate, the substance of the argument over pre-adamites is still with us, and perhaps even growing in importance. -- Stephen H. Webb Reviews in Religion and Theology 2009 An original and useful contribution to the history of human origins research and the history of science and religion. -- Matthew R. Goodrum Annals of Science 2010 One of the great strengths of this book lies in its demonstration that the history of a concept long since accepted by many, but by no means all, remains strikingly relevant to science and society. Progress in Human Geography

David N. Livingstone is a professor of geography and intellectual history at the Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and author of several books, including Putting Science in Its Place: Geographies of Scientific Knowledge, The Geographical Tradition, and Darwin's Forgotten Defenders.