By the Evidence: Memoirs, 1932-1951

by Louis Leakey

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Genres: History, Africa, Nonfiction

1000 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey was a British archaeologist and naturalist whose work was important in establishing human evolutionary development in Africa. He also played a major role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there. Having been a prime mover in establishing a tradition of palaeoanthropological inquiry, he was able to motivate the next generation to continue it, notably within his own family, many of whom also became prominent. Leakey participated in national events of British East Africa and Kenya during the 1950s.

Louis Leakey was married to Mary Leakey, who made the noteworthy discovery of fossil footprints at Laetoli. Found preserved in volcanic ash in Tanzania, they are the earliest record of bipedal gait. He is also the father of paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey and the botanist Colin Leakey.

Reviews

[Valerie]

Louis Leakey was a skilled self-publicist who happened to have the skills to deliver what he advertised.

His works, therefore, have to be taken with about a peck of salt, but are a necessary grounding in the arts and sciences of Upland Kenya, from someone who was involved in Kenyan history even before there was a recognized nation of Kenya.

Allowing for a strong Kikuyu bias (Leakey was an initiated Kikuyu, though of British descent), there's a lot of interesting background in Leakey's biographical works, including such things as information about string figures (cat's cradle and suchlike), and Leakey's indifferently successful attempts to introduce the board game Mancala to a worldwide audience (he personally didn't have much success, but he must've planted the idea with some people, as the game has since been successfully disseminated).

If you're looking for a discussion of Leakey's paleontological works, you'd do better to go to other sources. Leakey does discuss his wildly successful mentoring programs (Jane Goodall, Joy Adamson, etc, but doesn't really deal with the sites and discoveries in the detail you'd find in (say) old issues of National Geographic.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could I not give this book 5 stars...it's written by Louis Leakey himself. His first person account of his first 25? or so years in the field. I found his writing entertaining and honest and enjoyed his descriptions of his archaeological finds and geographic topography. Lovely read if you are into human evolution or just classic archaeology in general.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

More personal history than science this one. But readable.

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis Leakey was one interesting dude.