Tamed

Ten Species that Changed our World

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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Tamed, written and read by Alice Roberts.

The extraordinary story of the species that became our allies.

For hundreds of thousands of years, our ancestors depended on wild plants and animals for survival. They were hunter-gatherers, consummate foraging experts, taking the world as they found it. Then a revolution occurred – our ancestors’ interaction with other species changed. They began to tame them. The human population boomed; civilisation began.

In Tamed, Alice Roberts uncovers the deep history of ten familiar species with incredible wild pasts: dogs, apples and wheat; cattle, potatoes and chickens; rice, maize and horses – and, finally, humans.

She reveals how becoming part of our world changed these animals and plants, and shows how they became our allies, essential to the survival and success of our own species.

Enlightening, wide-ranging and endlessly fascinating, Tamed encompasses thousands of years of history and archaeology alongside cutting-edge genetics and anthropology. Yet it is also a deeply personal journey that changes how we see ourselves and the species on which we have left our mark.

'A masterpiece of evocative scientific storytelling.' Brian Cox

'The best popular book on broad-sweep history since Guns, Germs and Steel.' Peter Forbes

AN ECONOMIST AND MAIL ON SUNDAY 'BOOK OF THE YEAR' 2017

Alice RobertsAlice RobertsCornerstone Digital

Biological Sciences

Science

Social Sciences

Thought-Provoking

Survival

Africa

Biological Sciences Science Social Sciences Thought-Provoking Survival Africa

Critic reviews

A masterpiece of evocative scientific storytelling. (BRIAN COX)

Epic and joyous, a landmark in the story of us. (Adam Rutherford)

Two recent pioneers of the history of humanity are Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel, and Yuval Noah Harari, in his book Sapiens. It is a teeming subject, about which Roberts is multiply qualified to write, as an anatomist, archaeologist, anthropologist, paleopathologist and professor of public engagement in science. Roberts remains composed, engaging and undogmatic throughout… Tamed is an excellent point of entry for anyone who wants to understand the new deep human history and what it portends. (Peter Forbes)

[A] lively work of popular scientific history, in which [Roberts] looks at 10 species that have become part of our everyday existence ... illuminating facts, Roberts is an informed guide to the oddities that have made the world what it is today.

Tamed may be the title of Alice Roberts' latest book, but the writing is anything but tame. Lyrical storytelling untangles the current thinking on how we've entwined our lives with those of plants and animals. From dogs to apples to potatoes to chickens, Roberts provides fascinating insights into domestication, offering anecdotes from past and present that link genetic and archaeological findings. (Liz Kalaugher)

Superb: fascinating, intimate biographies of the species that have shared our white-knuckle ride to the present and have helped to make us what we are. Read if you want to know what and why you are.’ (Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast)

The sort of deep-dive history that will appeal to fans of Jared Diamond and Yuval Noah Harari.

There are plenty of facts in Tamed that make the familiar well worth exploring afresh. But it's the fascinating stories that explain how these were unearthed that make this book such a joy to read. (Tristan Gooley)

An engrossing and highly readable account of where man is now and how we have reached this point

This book is an utter delight…. I loved the stories, the information. But what I loved most was the message of the book: how to preserve what we have before we lose it forever. Humans have a massive impact on the plant, both locally and globally

Most relevant

I find that this book was very dense with information, in the best way possible! While it took a few rounds of listening to absorb all the new data contained within, the performance was very nice and soothing. Definitely well researched and written otherwise. Warmly recommend!