As I HOPE IS TRUE for any author, this book has been a labor of love. But I have certainly been luckier than most because my labors were made possible and lightened enormously by the help of my wife, Jamie Carroll. Her critical taste and encouragement nourished the book’s birth, her hard work and artistic talent fed its growing body, her patience endured countless questions of “Honey, what do you think of this quote/paragraph/section/chapter/title/picture/etc.?,” and her honest answers spared readers much confusion and pain. No one could ever hope for a more generous partner, a warmer home in which to create, or a better sense of humor for getting through the inevitable twists and turns.
The research for and the making of the book were aided in many ways by my wonderful family, who have trudged happily through various jungles, swamps, muddy rivers, and innumerable museums for the love of natural history. My sons, Will and Patrick, helped to find fossils in the field and key animals in museums and my stepson, Josh Klaiss, created several important graphics.
I thank my sister, Nancy, with whom I have studied and discussed the lives of Darwin, Huxley, Lyell, and their contemporaries for almost a decade, my brother Peter for always pushing for the big picture and our many discussions on human evolution, and my brother Jim for his great encouragement.
I also thank my parents, Joan Carroll and the late J. Robert Carroll, for encouraging each of their children to pursue whatever interested us, even when that meant keeping snakes in the house.
The artwork here was a big undertaking. Original drawings and graphics were created by Jamie, Josh, and Leanne Olds. Leanne also composed or redrew most of the figures that originated from other sources. Steve Paddock, a longtime member of my research group, compiled and arranged the color artwork. I am grateful for the care everyone put into each image and I am thrilled at the results.
Much of the artwork was contributed by colleagues around the world and is the fruit of their field and laboratory research. Albert Einstein came close to the mark when he wrote:
A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.
—The World as I See It,
Ideas and Opinions (1954)
(trans. Sonja Bargmann)
My gratitude and debts are owed to a larger and more diverse community than that in which Einstein toiled. I was in the fortunate position to write this book because of the individual and collective efforts of a huge community of biologists, including paleontologists, geneticists, embryologists, and evolutionary biologists. While some of the giants preceded my time, most of the discoveries discussed in the book belong to the current generation. I thank the large number of colleagues who provided figures for the book and who have, over a number of years, shared their expertise and ideas.
This is a great job. Everywhere one meets talented and passionate people with a work ethic that would shame most professions. I am especially indebted to the individuals who have worked with and collaborated with me over the past twenty years or so. The creativity and dedication of many students, postdocs, and technicians are responsible for the successes of my laboratory and I have learned far more from them than I ever taught in return. I have also had an unusual amount of freedom in choosing areas to pursue, thanks to the generous financial support of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the National Science Foundation, and the Shaw Scholars program of the Milwaukee Foundation.
I had several exceptional mentors who gave me freedom and encouragement in my formative years that catalyzed my growth as a scientist and planted or watered some of the seeds that have flowered here. I thank Simon Silver, Owen Sexton, and James Jones (Washington University in St. Louis); Dr. William DeWolfe (Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital); Dr. B. David Stollar (my Ph.D. advisor), Carlos Sonnenschein, and Ana Soto (all of Tufts University); and Dr. Matthew Scott (my postdoctoral mentor, now at Stanford University) for the exceptional opportunities they gave me and the wisdom they shared.
Finally, I thank my two new mentors in the publishing world without whom this project would not have developed or evolved. My agent, Russ Galen (the four-minute man), has provided terrific advice, astute criticism, and immense encouragement. My editor, Jack Repcheck, sparked the project with his great enthusiasm for Evo Devo and his conviction that this was a story waiting to be told, and he helped to channel my rants throughout the writing process.