Citation

Zuk M. Evol. Psychol. 2004; 2: 9-11.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, The Author(s), Publisher Ian Pitchford and Robert M. Young)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Reviews the book, "Natural Selection and Social Theory: Selected Papers of Robert Trivers" by No Author (2002). In this book, the author provides his current thought on topics in sociobiology and evolution ranging from sex ratios to parent-offspring conflict to reproductive strategies. The author provides a retrospective of 5 of his theory papers published between 1971 and 1976, an empirical paper on Jamaican lizards, and 4 later papers. For those who already know the papers, the introductory essays provide sometimes surprising insights into the motivation behind the work. The commentaries do more than provide interesting tidbits of academic celebrity gossip. They also set the papers in the context of the time they were written, something that will help current graduate students understand their significance. The book is full of other gems large and small, such as the pet peeve of Trivers against using the word "kid" as a synonym for "child". This book allows readers to appreciate the enormous contribution these papers have made to current thinking in the evolution of social behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)