Best Popular Anthropology Books

1.
Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies 4.04 avg rating — 445,030 ratings
2.
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus 4.05 avg rating — 93,181 ratings
3.
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed 3.93 avg rating — 73,872 ratings
4.
A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons
A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons 4.39 avg rating — 8,660 ratings
5.
Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki 4.16 avg rating — 24,591 ratings
6.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures 4.20 avg rating — 87,600 ratings
7.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind 4.34 avg rating — 1,201,668 ratings
8.
Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle 3.97 avg rating — 5,898 ratings
9.
The Naked Ape
The Naked Ape 3.93 avg rating — 11,899 ratings
10.
The Songlines
The Songlines 3.96 avg rating — 12,122 ratings
11.
The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal
The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal 4.08 avg rating — 28,333 ratings
12.
The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?
The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? 3.78 avg rating — 10,884 ratings
13.
Cannibals and Kings: Origins of Cultures
Cannibals and Kings: Origins of Cultures 4.10 avg rating — 1,713 ratings
14.
The Origin of Species
The Origin of Species 4.01 avg rating — 120,185 ratings
15.
One River: Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon Rain Forest
One River: Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon Rain Forest 4.46 avg rating — 2,643 ratings
16.
Gods, Graves and Scholars: The Story of Archaeology
Gods, Graves and Scholars: The Story of Archaeology 4.25 avg rating — 2,766 ratings
17.
A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World
A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World 3.96 avg rating — 9,298 ratings
18.
The Forest People
The Forest People 3.96 avg rating — 2,477 ratings
19.
Motel of the Mysteries
Motel of the Mysteries 4.11 avg rating — 2,548 ratings
20.
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution 4.14 avg rating — 28,420 ratings
21.
The Yanomamö
The Yanomamö 3.62 avg rating — 1,330 ratings
22.
Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees
Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees 4.48 avg rating — 2,065 ratings
23.
Europe and the People Without History
Europe and the People Without History 4.13 avg rating — 1,277 ratings
24.
Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman
Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman 3.89 avg rating — 2,671 ratings
25.
Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilisation
Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilisation 3.55 avg rating — 3,149 ratings
26.
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World 3.99 avg rating — 3,774 ratings
27.
The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough 4.02 avg rating — 8,609 ratings
28.
The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen
The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen 4.13 avg rating — 812 ratings
29.
In Search of the Dark Ages
In Search of the Dark Ages really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2,001 ratings
30.
The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge
The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge 3.94 avg rating — 44,696 ratings
31.
The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic
The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic 3.92 avg rating — 5,278 ratings
32.
Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality
Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality 3.70 avg rating — 7,180 ratings
32.
Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit (Ishmael, #1)
Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit (Ishmael, #1) 4.01 avg rating — 102,546 ratings
34.
The Selfish Gene
The Selfish Gene 4.16 avg rating — 189,052 ratings
35.
Euphoria
Euphoria
by: Lily King
3.86 avg rating — 97,934 ratings
36.
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World 4.06 avg rating — 81,003 ratings
37.
Shamanism: The Timeless Religion
Shamanism: The Timeless Religion 4.02 avg rating — 64 ratings
38.
Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi
Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi 3.63 avg rating — 1,413 ratings
39.
Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization
Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization 3.96 avg rating — 442 ratings
40.
In Search of the Trojan War
In Search of the Trojan War 4.09 avg rating — 847 ratings
41.
Neanderthals in Plato’s Cave: A Relativistic Approach to Cultural Evolution
Neanderthals in Plato’s Cave: A Relativistic Approach to Cultural Evolution it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 6 ratings
42.
Traurige Tropen.
Traurige Tropen. 4.14 avg rating — 3,981 ratings
43.
The Shark God: Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in the South Pacific
The Shark God: Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in the South Pacific 3.45 avg rating — 307 ratings
43.
The Mound Builders
The Mound Builders 3.79 avg rating — 130 ratings
45.
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography 4.30 avg rating — 28,489 ratings
46.
The Complete Pompeii (The Complete Series)
The Complete Pompeii (The Complete Series) 4.21 avg rating — 369 ratings
47.
Debt: The First 5,000 Years
Debt: The First 5,000 Years 4.21 avg rating — 25,619 ratings
47.
Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates
Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates 3.68 avg rating — 10,102 ratings
49.
Ancient Mexico: The History and Culture of the Maya, Aztecs and Other Pre-Columbian Peoples
Ancient Mexico: The History and Culture of the Maya, Aztecs and Other Pre-Columbian Peoples really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 38 ratings
49.
Apocalypse: Earthquakes, Archaeology, and the Wrath of God
Apocalypse: Earthquakes, Archaeology, and the Wrath of God
by: Amos Nur
3.68 avg rating — 56 ratings
51.
Talking Hands: What Sign Language Reveals About the Mind
Talking Hands: What Sign Language Reveals About the Mind 4.02 avg rating — 526 ratings
52.
Quest for the Past: Great Discoveries in Archaeology
Quest for the Past: Great Discoveries in Archaeology 3.70 avg rating — 43 ratings
53.
Archaeology: A Brief Introduction
Archaeology: A Brief Introduction 3.74 avg rating — 203 ratings
54.
In the Shadow of Man
In the Shadow of Man 4.36 avg rating — 8,857 ratings
55.
The Maya
The Maya 3.87 avg rating — 1,507 ratings
56.
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City 4.19 avg rating — 16 ratings
57.
Floods, Famines, And Emperors: El Nino And The Fate Of Civilizations
Floods, Famines, And Emperors: El Nino And The Fate Of Civilizations 3.70 avg rating — 224 ratings
58.
Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet
Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet
by: Will Hunt
3.81 avg rating — 2,620 ratings
58.
Tackling the Everyday: Race and Nation in Big-Time College Football (Volume 19) (Atelier: Ethnographic Inquiry in the Twenty-First Century)
Tackling the Everyday: Race and Nation in Big-Time College Football (Volume 19) (Atelier: Ethnographic Inquiry in the Twenty-First Century) 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings
60.
Return to Laughter: An Anthropological Novel
Return to Laughter: An Anthropological Novel 3.70 avg rating — 680 ratings
61.
Why Nothing Works: The Anthropology of Daily Life
Why Nothing Works: The Anthropology of Daily Life 3.76 avg rating — 257 ratings
62.
The Desert Smells Like Rain: A Naturalist in Papago Indian Country
The Desert Smells Like Rain: A Naturalist in Papago Indian Country 4.25 avg rating — 389 ratings
63.
Ancient Egyptian Magic: Spells, Incantations, Potions, Stories, and Rituals
Ancient Egyptian Magic: Spells, Incantations, Potions, Stories, and Rituals
by: Bob Brier
3.91 avg rating — 137 ratings
63.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History 4.15 avg rating — 77,280 ratings
65.
Merchant Adventurer Kings of Rhoda: The Lost World of the Tucson Artifacts
Merchant Adventurer Kings of Rhoda: The Lost World of the Tucson Artifacts 4.50 avg rating — 8 ratings
66.
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor 3.73 avg rating — 827 ratings
67.
Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women
Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women 3.89 avg rating — 482 ratings
68.
Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History
Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History 4.04 avg rating — 273 ratings
69.
Voyage of the Beagle
Voyage of the Beagle 4.02 avg rating — 8,291 ratings
70.
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs 4.21 avg rating — 506 ratings
71.
Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind
Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind 4.15 avg rating — 2,843 ratings
72.
In Search of the First Civilizations
In Search of the First Civilizations 3.80 avg rating — 199 ratings
73.
How the Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World: The Vikings, Vandals, Huns, Mongols, Goths, and Tartars who Razed the Old World and Formed the New
How the Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World: The Vikings, Vandals, Huns, Mongols, Goths, and Tartars who Razed the Old World and Formed the New 3.56 avg rating — 162 ratings
74.
The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code
The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code 4.01 avg rating — 3,647 ratings
75.
The Mountain People
The Mountain People 3.81 avg rating — 673 ratings
75.
Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes
Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes 4.08 avg rating — 3,369 ratings
77.
Engaging Anthropological Theory: A Social and Political History
Engaging Anthropological Theory: A Social and Political History 4.06 avg rating — 67 ratings
78.
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets 4.36 avg rating — 19,839 ratings
79.
Saga America: A Startling New Theory on the Old World Settlement of America Before Columbus
Saga America: A Startling New Theory on the Old World Settlement of America Before Columbus 3.58 avg rating — 45 ratings
79.
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark 4.29 avg rating — 78,413 ratings
81.
The History of Ancient Egypt
The History of Ancient Egypt
by: Bob Brier
4.51 avg rating — 2,310 ratings
81.
The Human Zoo: A Zoologist's Study of the Urban Animal
The Human Zoo: A Zoologist's Study of the Urban Animal really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3,006 ratings
81.
Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters
Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters 4.06 avg rating — 27,645 ratings
84.
Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology
Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology 4.04 avg rating — 728 ratings
84.
Bandits
Bandits 3.75 avg rating — 772 ratings
86.
Pegando fogo: Por que cozinhar nos tornou humanos
Pegando fogo: Por que cozinhar nos tornou humanos 3.88 avg rating — 4,044 ratings
86.
Bronze-Age America
Bronze-Age America 4.03 avg rating — 31 ratings
88.
Gathering the Desert
Gathering the Desert 4.31 avg rating — 151 ratings
88.
The Lost World of the Anasazi
The Lost World of the Anasazi 3.61 avg rating — 44 ratings
88.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
by: Dee Brown
4.26 avg rating — 99,680 ratings
91.
Cherokee DNA Studies: Real People Who Proved the Geneticists Wrong (DNA Consultants Series on Consumer Genetics)
Cherokee DNA Studies: Real People Who Proved the Geneticists Wrong (DNA Consultants Series on Consumer Genetics) 4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings
91.
Kabloona: Among the Inuit (Graywolf Rediscovery Series)
Kabloona: Among the Inuit (Graywolf Rediscovery Series) 4.18 avg rating — 841 ratings
93.
Ancient Ruins of the Southwest: An Archaeological Guide
Ancient Ruins of the Southwest: An Archaeological Guide 4.07 avg rating — 117 ratings
94.
America BC: Ancient Settlers in the New World
America BC: Ancient Settlers in the New World 3.75 avg rating — 261 ratings
95.
Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest
Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest 3.90 avg rating — 186 ratings
95.
Fatu-Hiva: Back to Nature
Fatu-Hiva: Back to Nature 4.16 avg rating — 1,054 ratings
97.
The Bog Man and the Archaeology of People
The Bog Man and the Archaeology of People 4.11 avg rating — 55 ratings
97.
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design 4.09 avg rating — 41,140 ratings
97.
The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America
The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America 3.65 avg rating — 1,654 ratings
100.
The Mystic Symbol: Mark of the Michigan Mound Builders
The Mystic Symbol: Mark of the Michigan Mound Builders 4.64 avg rating — 14 ratings
Next