As a scholar of this field, I can’t imagine how one person can command this wide a literature.
This book is an amazing achievement. Not only does it review essentially every significant bit of rowk on the evolution of language, it does so in a brilliant analytic fashion. Fitch patiently analyzes every idea, theory, and hypothesis he can find—beginning with a clear statement of the theme, then carefulliy marshalling all supporting and opposing arguments. He rarely misses a logical possibility or contradiction. He is competent in every field related to language, from animal communication to neurology to modern linguistic diversity. As a scholar of this field, I can’t imagine how one person can command this wide a literature.