Life on Earth

By: David Attenborough

Narrated by: David Attenborough

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

A new edition of David Attenborough’s groundbreaking Life on Earth.

Winner of Best Non-Fiction Audiobook at the New York Radio Awards 2019.

Shortlisted for Best Audiobook at the Specsavers National Book Awards 2018.

Shortlisted for Futurebook of the Year at the Futurebook Awards 2018.

The nation’s greatest voice, David Attenborough, reads a brand-new edition of Life on Earth, now available as an audiobook for the first time.

David Attenborough’s unforgettable meeting with gorillas became an iconic moment for millions of television viewers. Life on Earth, the series and accompanying book, fundamentally changed the way we view and interact with the natural world, setting a new benchmark of quality, influencing a generation of nature lovers. Told through an examination of animal and plant life, this is an astonishing celebration of the evolution of life on earth, with a cast of characters drawn from the whole range of organisms that have ever lived on this planet. Attenborough’s perceptive, dynamic approach to the evolution of millions of species of living organisms takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of discovery from the very first spark of life to the blue and green wonder we know today.

Now, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the book’s first publication, David Attenborough has revisited Life on Earth, completely updating and adding to the original text, taking account of modern scientific discoveries from around the globe. This special anniversary edition provides a fitting tribute to an enduring wildlife classic, destined to enthral the generation who saw it when first published and bring it alive for a whole new generation.

This audiobook includes wildlife sounds from BAFTA Award winning sound recordist, Chris Watson, who has worked extensively with David Attenborough on his BBC projects. A soundscape appears at the beginning of each chapter to provide a fully immersive experience of the habitat and some of the species described. A full list of the tracks, as they appear in the audiobook, is available below.

• Prologue - Acacia scrubland dawn chorus in the Masai Mara, Kenya, featuring White-browed Robin-chat.
• Chapter One, The Infinite Variety - Tropical rain forest in Panama with the calls of Montezuma oropendola.
• Chapter Two, Building Bodies - Fish and crustaceans recorded underwater on a coral reef off Seligan island, Borneo.
• Chapter Three, The First Forests - Geysir and geothermal activity at Haukadalur hot springs in Iceland. This track also features the Strokkur geysir erupting.
• Chapter Four, The Swarming Hordes - Evening insect chorus in the Conkouati forest reserve, Republic of Congo.
• Chapter Five, The Conquest of The Waters - Ocean currents through sea kelp recorded at a depth of 8m, Moray Firth, Scotland.
• Chapter Six, Invasion of The Land - Reed frog chorus at sunset, Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
• Chapter Seven, A Watertight Skin - Seawash around basking marine iguanas, Isla San Cristóbal, Galapagos.
• Chapter Eight, Lords of The Air - Springtime dawn chorus with nightingale, Hambleton wood, Rutland Water nature reserve, UK.
• Chapter Nine, Eggs, Pouches and Placentas - forest chorus along riverside platypus territory, Queensland, Australia.
• Chapter Ten, Theme and Variation - Common Pipistrelle bats echolocating after sunset, Holystone woodland, Northumberland.
• Chapter Eleven, The Hunters and The Hunted - Spotted hyena contact calls at midnight in the Masai Mara, Kenya.
• Chapter Twelve, A Life in The Trees - Black howler monkeys calling across the tree canopy at sunrise in Belize.
• Chapter Thirteen, The Compulsive Communicators - Street market, Ramnagar, Uttarakhand, Northern India.
• Epilogue - Beach habitat in mangroves with Great frigatebirds and red footed boobies, Isla Genovesa, Galapagos.

©2018 David Attenborough (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"It does not disappoint. The new Life on Earth is as glorious as the first." (Guardian)

"This natural history masterpiece offers a spectacular snapshot of a once-wild planet." (New Scientist)

Worth listening to several times

I had no idea when I downloaded this easy to miss book that it would bring as much pleasure and knowledge into my life. It is a book that tells what is arguable the most important story on the planet earth: how does life happen. Or perhaps more egocentrically: How did humans happen. I'm not sure if Attenborough set out to tell the story of how humans happen but he starts with the primordial soup on earth 4 billion years ago and moves through invertebrates, vertebrates, reptiles, birds, mammals, and then starts zeroing in on primates and ends with us. It's a lovely story and one that we think we know but there is plenty in this book that will remind you of things you thought you once knew and plenty that you've never heard before. Example: there is this frog that gets eggs implanted in scratches under the skin of its back where the eggs mature and then burst forth when they are ready. Forgive my imprecision -- I'm often listening late at night -- and it's soothing -- I listen to it over and over. Attenborough's voice is mesmerizing and the story he tells is of immense importance -- we are the only species on this planet that has altered the planet to the degree that we have. He stop short of writing a global warming polemic -- but I hope we will one day. I'll listen to that too!

Excellent look at the history of life

This is a very well written book from David Attenborough, detailing the history of life on Earth, from the very beginning. He takes us through all of the developments of life, like adapting to living on land, in an easy to understand manner, always giving evolutionary explanations as to why things happened the way they did.

His performance is perfect as usual, he speaks clearly, understandably.

Five star book, recommended to everyone.

A great listen

I just find listening to David Attenborough, soothing. Even though some of the conclusions are a bit alarming, the story is so compelling, and his voice makes it all sound like it will be OK. Even though I’ve spent my life in the field of biology, I found there were a few things I learned, and I enjoyed the book immensely.

amazing as always

well written, well read. always a pleasure to experience the writing of Sir David Attenborough.

Amazing book

All though the content is spectacular, I listen to this book when I am not feeling well, or when I can not sleep. David Attenborough has the ability to entertain and soothe at the same time. It’s much like having your grandfather read to you while you are trying to recover or sleep.

For everyone on earth.. Listen and learn

Head the words, help heal the earth. The fact that this book was first published in 1979 is terrifying. That Attenboroughs work on the conservation of life and our planet has not been adapted by every developed nation on earth is baffling.

Amazing book, fantastic stories, and a great source of information.

David Attenborough at his best!

One I will save forever

David Attenborough is magnificent in every respect. This book is a culmination of his decades of travel and study of Nature in all parts of the world and begins at the "beginning" of Life on Earth. His ability to condense such a monumental work is worthy of many awards. Listening to him narrate his own work is a bonus as I think only he could project both the enthusiasm and clarification necessary to enjoy every single second of this amazing review beginning with the origins of life through its evolution to the present. His understanding of biology and his ability to describe it in terms any listener/reader can understand is a feat in and of itself. Rarely do I read/listen to any book twice that I have chosen for entertainment value. "Life on Earth" is the exception. It is at once entertaining, informative, inspirational and beautiful. I give it the highest recommendation I can compared to any book I have ever enjoyed.

A Very Interesting Guide to Evolution

David Attenborough has written a wonderful review of all species on Earth! He does a fantastic job of connecting the different groups with a chronological order... I love his voice and wording and logic... good stuff!

Such a great history lesson

This was so wonderful to listen to. It was easy to follow along, engaging and of course a joy to listen to. 10/10.

Dave!

A quick revisit of the biology you forgot from school read by Dave. He uses interesting examples to illustrate ideas. Starts w the beginning of life and follows animal and plant biology forward from simple to complex life. I’m a wildlife nerd and this was a good refresher with lots of interesting specifics. And I got to listen to 13 hrs of DA reading to me.