What is a good book about anthropology for beginners?

Question

What is a good book about anthropology for beginners?

Answer 1

Anthropology has two big sub-fields: physical anthropology and cultural anthropology.

They're very different. Which are you interested in?

Answer 2

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond is a good beginner's book; Diamond is an excellant and easy to easy to understand.  Also it incorporates many of the branches of anthropology.  Collapse, which was mentioned in a previous answer, is by the same author and is a "sequel" to the first.

Answer 3

The Turner Diaries is a good book about race relations.

Answer 4

Not sure about a text book, but I subscribe to National Geographic.

Answer 5

Anything by Carlos Castaneda. As far as text books this was a pretty informative text book : Cultural Anthropology by Nancy Bonvillain

So was this one even though this one covers theorist it very informative as well. Anthropological Theory by R. Jon McGee & Richard L. Warms

Answer 6

one of the more popular books is The Naked Ape which should be 1 of the 1st books read.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksea...

Anthropology is such a broad field...        but 2 of my personal favorite books are..    

Speak - a short history of languages.    Its a very small yet VERY interesting book.   It talk specifically about different types of languages.. but also the anthropolgy of languages..  such as.. when humans 1st begane to speak..  how so many languages were developed ..  languages upon animals..

another one of my favorites is:  Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.   This book just came out a year or 2 ago and has top ratings.  He speaks of what caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin.. which could have been.. over population.. under population.. lack of communication skills ..too much food... deforestation..  disease..  drought   .. its amazing

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksea...

both the barnes and nobles .. and amazon website have a used book section.   in Barnes  when you search for the book it also has "Used Copies Available

from our Authorized Sellers"   and on amazon its:  

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0...

  you can usually find the books in very good condition for just a few $ instead of the full cost of $15 - $25 for just 1 book

good luck

Answer 7

I recommend:

Conrad Philip Kottak, Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity

and

John Relethford: The Human Species: An Introduction To Biological Anthropology

for starting.

They cover an extensive area of anthropological study between them. Great textbooks, great for beginners as well as people that want to actually read up on anthropological issues and research.