The Wonder of Life on Earth

Discover the story of life on our planet as you have never seen it before, from winner of the Royal Society Science Book Prize. This beautifully illustrated book is the perfect gift for the curious of any age.
In 30 bite-size chapters, Nature editor and author of the award-winning A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth, Henry Gee charts the incredible, unlikely story of life on our planet, with vibrant colour illustrations from artist Raxenne Maniquiz.
From the first tiny bubbles of life in the ocean to the arrival of endlessly adaptable apes, this is the ultimate survival story.
The Wonder of Life on Earth condenses billions of years of evolution into one exquisite 80-page book, journeying through monumental near-misses, evolutionary crossroads, and a planet shaped by supervolcanoes, toxic air, and asteroids.
Artwork from talented botanical illustrator and designer Raxenne Maniquiz brings to life a cavalcade of strange and marvellous creatures: travel back in time to look inside bacteria and the first cells, to the planet's first trees and plants, to the odd, soft-bodied rangeomorphs, and on to armoured fishes, dinosaurs, nimble mammals and endlessly adaptable apes and primates.
Henry's gripping writing makes it easy to understand complex processes like the carbon cycle, natural selection, fossilisation and the galactic fluctuations that have shaped our planet and its inhabitants.
Complete with a glossary, a timeline and a view into the future, this astonishing and readable natural history is perfect for younger readers and anyone looking for an accessible introduction to the biggest topic around: LIFE.

Henry Gee is a senior editor at Nature and the author of several books, including The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire, Jacob's Ladder, In Search of Deep Time, The Science of Middle-Earth, The Accidental Species, and A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth, which won the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize. He has appeared on BBC television and radio and NPR's All Things Considered, and has written for The Guardian, The Times, and BBC Science Focus. He lives in Cromer, Norfolk, England, with his family and numerous pets.