QUOTES John Van Couvering, American Museum of Natural History: "Jon Kalb's engrossing account of discovery and disappointment in the Afar region of Ethiopia may be one of the best first-person acounts of finding human fossils ever written. . . .  In these pages, we are backstage for some of the great scenes in human paleontology . . ." Karl Butzer, Univerity of Texas at Austin: "Jon Kalb spins a gripping tale of human greed, treachery and arrogance. . . . Kalb's is a fast-paced book about Africa . . . a mesmerizing continent that captivates those who pass through. A world unto its own that continues to hold secrets about our shared human history. Kalb unerringly captures the flavor of a tumultuous time and place. He opens a window on landscapes and peoples, on history and a quest for enlightenment, and on human nature and showing its foibles. He is a gifted writer, who has given us a superb read." Bernard Wood, George Washington University: ". . . a scholarly, carefully-researched, well-written and deeply engaging book. . ." C. Loring Brace, University of Michigan: "The details of Ethiopian history, field geology, archaeology, and paleontology   pepper the narrative but do not get in the way, and it never bogs down.  The book is well organized, thoroughly documented, and well told." Osbjorn Pearson, University of New Mexico: "Kalb's book departs from the trend [of popular books] and presents an important, richly varied, and highly readable account of a remarkable discovery that was marred by unscrupulous ambition . . . ." Craig Feibel, Rutgers University: "Finally, a view from the trenches . . . a superb story of the behind-the-scenes lives of those who study, firsthand, the evolution of our early ancestors and the landscape they inhabited . . . " Terry Harrison, New York University: ". . . a wonderfully engaging personal account of how science is shaped as much by sociology, politics, and historical events as it is by important discoveries . . . " Richard H. Benson, Smithsonian Institution: ". . . a throwback to the style of the last century . . . informative, amusing, gripping, full of expectancy and denial, replete in political chicanery . . . " Larry D. Martin, The University of Kansas ". . . a useful insight into the politics of scientific exploration, and the problems that third world countries have in obtaining a share of their scientific heritage . . . "