The Children of Eve: Population and Well-being in History

“Summing Up: Highly recommended.  All levels/libraries.”  (Choice, 1 March 2013)

Cain and Paterson draw a vivid picture of the human parade in The Children of Eve.  From our troglodytic beginnings to the rise of mass prosperity, they guide us through trends in human well-being with an impressive variety of data.  To understand how we came to our current state, and what we should do about urgent demographic issues that range from the threat of epidemic disease to actuarial soundness of public pensions, start here.

-John E. Murray, Rhodes College

The Children of Eve is a fascinating and wide-ranging book about the forces that affected changes in the world's population from hunter- gatherers to modern families.  It is a riveting read that draws a marvelous array of evidence from around the world.  It will appeal to anyone (both academics and non-academics) curious about the dramatic changes over time in such topics as mortality, fertility and health.

-Gillian Hamilton, University of Toronto

In this innovative and entertaining book, Cain and Paterson apply the lenses of economics, demography, and human biology to elucidate the deep history of the human condition.

-Rick Steckel, Ohio State University