The Tree of Life

I was impressed by this book when I first saw the edition in Spanish soon after publication in 2012. The English edition is not just a translation, however, but revised and extended to include the most recent results and information on some 'hyperdiverse' groups not included in the original Spanish edition. This is, as far as I am aware, the most comprehensive account of the diversity of life on Earth (viruses excluded) as we know it in a single volume. This book could almost be looked on as a 'coffee-table' work on the diversity of life, but it is actually something that should not only be a reference work on the shelves of biodiversity, conservation, and molecular scientists, molecular biologists, but a basic reference text for all students in the non-medical biological sciences. The modest price for such a substantial full-colour work should help this title get the wide circulation it merits. * David L. Hawksworth, Biodiversity and Conservation *
One could scarcely wish for a more authoritative brief guide to the Earth's biota." * Kevin Padian, Reports of the National Center for Science Education *
The book emphatically holds its own against the strong competition, and it thus belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who pretends to an interest in the phylogenetic view of biodiversity." * David A. Morrison, Systematic Biology *
The Tree of Life is a wonderful achievement. It is authoritative, and for this we are grateful to the authors. But it is also didactic and elegantly produced, and for this we thank the editors and the publishers." * Francisco J. Ayala, University of California, Irvine *
This exquisite summary of the phylogeny of major groups of life provides one of the most comprehensive and useful overviews of biodiversity available. Each chapter is written by a leading expert in the respective taxonomic group. This will be an important reference for anyone interested in life's diversity and evolutionary relationships." * David M. Hillis, University of Texas at Austin *