From the publisher: "In this literate and entertaining book, eminent naturalist David Rains Wallace brings the saga of ancient mammals to a general audience for the first time. Using artist Rudolph Zallinger's majestic The Age of Mammals mural at the Peabody Museum as a frame for his narrative, Wallace deftly moves over varied terrain — drawing from history, science, evolutionary theory, and art history — to present a lively account of fossil discoveries and an overview of what those discoveries have revealed about early mammals and their evolution." "Beasts of Eden is a true delight," according to Donald Johanson.