Into the past

Phillip Vallentine Tobias was arguably South Africa’s most honoured and decorated scientist. He is best known for his pioneering work at South Africa’s famous hominid fossil sites, and in the course of his career he developed the reputation of being one of the world’s leading authorities on the evolution of humankind. Into the Past focuses on the first 40 years of Tobias’s life: from his troubled childhood in Durban and Bloemfontein to his intense student days at Wits University (where he also taught from 1945 until his retirement in 1993) and the prolific research, correspondence and travels of his early career. He vividly recounts his interactions with some of the great names in twentieth century science – such as Raymond Dart, Robert Broom, Wilfrid LeGros Clark and Theodosius Dobzhansky – as well as their impact on him. Through his dedication to the people of Africa, Tobias opens windows on the San (or Bushmen) of Botswana, the Tonga of Zambia, and he recounts his role in the fight against racism during the harrowing decades of South Africa’s apartheid regime. The anecdotes, experiences and philosophies Tobias reveals portray a many-sided scholar and humanist, whose scientific achievements are matched by his love of people, teaching, books, theatre, music, travel – and tea and cricket. This memorial edition features tributes by several prominent individuals – Loyiso Nongxa; Ali Bacher; Don Johanssen; Ron Clarke; Bruce Rubidge; Louis Leakey; Naledi Pandor; Karel Nel and others. In addition, it contains new material from the second volume of Tobias’s autobiography, which he was working on at the time of his death on 7 June 2012, that covers events in Olduvai Gorge, Lucy and the Leakeys.