"In this well-structured book, a useful introduction lays out the main points of the volume, followed by three chapters devoted to the biological, neurological, and evolutionary aspects of the human brain . regardless of this difference of opinions, for those who missed the series of papers published by the two authors over the last decade, this book is a good way to catch up and to ponder some influential ideas in the research on modern humans." (Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 2011) "Coolidge and Wynn offer many useful insights into hominid cognition and provide a framework for model building and testing that can generate unequivocal results. The real contribution of The Rise of Homo sapiens, then, is not in its conclusions, but in its methodological commitments." ( Journal of Anthropological Research , 2010)"The book presents some intriguing ideas and offers alternative support for those who see a recent origin for modern human behaviour." ( South African Archaeological Bulletin , 2010) ?Coolidge and Wynn have written a clear, well-researched book that provides a strongly reasoned theoretical argument.' ( PsycCRITIQUES , 2009) ?This volume will be of considerable interest to anyone working in the cognitive sciences, notably anthropologists, archaeologists, and neuropsychologists.' ( CHOICE , October 2009) "Thirty years ago, archaeologist Tom Wynn pioneered modern attempts to unravel the evolution of cognition by looking at the archaeology of our ancestors in the light of psychological theory.

  Now he joins with psychologist Fred Coolidge to tackle the problem from both sides of the question.  As with other combined attempts, the authors found that they both learned a lot about their own disciplines from working with the other.  This resulting book is a delight and a constant source of insights.  Readers will learn about their own ways thinking, why it is as it is, and how it came to be that way.  This is a tale, both for the public and for professionals in many disciplines, told with wit and authority." ? Iain Davidson , Harvard University and University of New England "Scientific and humanistic disciplines use different approaches and different perspectives. Their combination is delicate, and necessary. Here we have an incredibly effective and successful example of the potentialities of such integration" ? Emiliano Bruner , Centro Nacional de Investigacin sobre la Evolucin Humana (CENIEH) "A thoughtful account of human evolution, focused on how a biological change in cognition could explain the emergence of modern humans in Africa and their subsequent expansion to Eurasia.

" ? Richard Klein , Stanford University.