Origins cover art

Origins

The Search for Our Prehistoric Past

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Origins

By: Frank H. T. Rhodes
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

In Origins, Frank H. T. Rhodes explores the origin and evolution of living things, the changing environments in which they have developed, and the challenges we now face on an increasingly crowded and polluted planet. Rhodes argues that the future well-being of our burgeoning population depends in no small part on our understanding of life's past, its long and slow development, and its intricate interdependencies.

The book describes the nature of the search for prehistoric life, the significance of geologic time, the origin of life, the emergence and spread of flora and fauna, the evolution of primates, and the emergence of modern humans.

Origins is accessible enough for the layperson but also can be used as an entry-level text for students of evolution, paleontology, and geology.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2016 Frank H.T. Rhodes (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Animals Biological Sciences Biology Earth Sciences Evolution Evolution & Genetics Outdoors & Nature Science Paleontology Natural History

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The History of Life cover art
Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" cover art
Endless Forms Most Beautiful cover art
Earthquake Storms cover art
What Evolution Is cover art
The Cambrian Period cover art
A Little History of the World cover art
Paleontology cover art
Human Evolution, 2nd Edition cover art
The Age of Reptiles cover art
The Selfish Gene cover art
One Mind cover art
Evolution cover art
Half-Earth cover art
Kindred cover art
Dinosaurs cover art
All stars
Most relevant
This was a great explanation, and description of the origins of life on Earth. The book sets the scene, so that the big steps that led to homosapiens make sense.

Great Summary

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Takes the listener through the geologic history of the earth covering the development of life over billions of years.
I love the insights on geology and detail on the categories and development of life. A wonderful book so full of information and insight. Loved it!
(I skipped the first chapter as I couldn’t quite follow why it began on that subject. But the rest of the book is amazing. It may be that the first chapter issue is me alone I mention only to encourage others to push/skip through if they don’t like ch1).

Fabulous

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this, it has plenty of detail so perhaps not ideal as a first introduction but wonderful if it's a topic you are already lightly familiar with. A touch repetitive here and there, I think reflecting a text not designed to be converted to audio really. Still engaging and informative throughout though.

A fascinating tour of evolutionary history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Brilliantly written and read mostly completely forgettable book in terms of detail. But discussion of extinction events, different geological periods and marine life memorable. Just don’t expect me to remember so many beautifully spoken unpronounceable names of fossil life forms.

Oddly compulsive listening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very dry, but fascinating. Beautifully read.

Not ideally suited to an audio book though

Good

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews