A review by ghost_rider
The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence by Carl Sagan

5.0

Carl Sagan is such a treasure. He writes with such clarity and passion for whatever subject he sets his sights on, which perfectly captures the wonder of the natural world. His style is informative but accessible to everyone, which is why he's one of the greatest popular science writers in my eyes. It doesn't feel like a dry textbook; it feels like going on a long walk and talking with someone who is simply passionate about a subject and wants to share it with you, with no pressure or strings attached. This subject is outside of his usual realm, which he freely admits, but his thoughts are still fascinating and thought-provoking. There is a good deal of speculation involved in this book (hence the title) but I think it's a wonderful expression of the curiosity needed for great science. Much of the information is now outdated, like the idea of the triune brain, but I won't hold that against him, seeing as it was written in the 1970s and that was the best information available at the time.