Limited Edition signed copies of 'The Wonder of Life on Earth'

 

The time is rapidly coming up to fast approaching the publication of The Wonder of Life on Earth, written by me, illustrated by Raxenne Maniquiz and published by Two Hoots (an imprint of Pan Macmillan) -- it's aimed at preteens but is really for people of Very All Ages. For full details click here. I'll be launching the book at the Norwich Science Festival on 18 February - tickets are now on sale. But wait, there's more: a special release of 1000 signed copies with free poster is available from independent bookstores. My favourite independent bookstores are The Book Hive in Norwich and Chicken and Frog in Brentwood, Essex, though I'm sure others are available. Support your local independent bookseller!

A Wondrous Wonder

Greeting me on my return from the Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology meeting in Birmingham, UK yesterday was the first actual copy of The Wonder of Life on Earth. With the lovely, rich illustrations from Raxenne Maniquiz it's a joy to behold. 

It'll be published on 5 February but it's already available for pre-order, and you can find more details here.

Une (très) Brève Histoire - in paperback

The paperback of the French edition of A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth will be published tomorrow, 9 October. You can order it here. 

A Return to the Norwich Science Festival

A quick diary note here - once again I shall be doing my thing at the Norwich Science Festival, at 3pm on 18 February 2026.  This will effectively be the official launch of The Wonder of Life on Earth, which is a retelling of the same story in A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth but completely rewritten for pre-teens and lavishly illustrated by Raxenne Maniquiz.

Kindle Special Offer for May 2025

 

A Turkish Delight

 A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth is available to read in Turkish from Yeditepe.

The Shape of Life

I've long been a fan of Alaskan artist Ray Troll, so imagine my pleasure when I was asked to guest on his PaleoNerds podcast (which you can find here). And more than that -- Ray asked me to script and narrate an animation called the Tree of Life, which is now online here: 

It's part of an education resource called the Shape of Life, a new resource for students and teachers of evolutionary biology. Dig in!