30 Dental Anthropology 2020 │ Volume 33 │ Issue 01 The Tales Teeth Tell is an introduction to dental an- thropology interwoven with its author’s own experi- ence of research and discovery. It takes the consider- able expertise in tooth histology and imaging meth- ods of the author and embeds them in the larger world of tooth growth and development, detailing processes at both the cellular and population level, introducing avenues of research and the questions that face the field. Professor Tanya Smith, now of Griffith University, has had a remarkable career tra- jectory thus far, moving from her PhD to prestigious fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for Evolu- tionary Biology and the Radcliffe Institute at Har- vard University. Her work has concentrated on ad- vancing histological research through innovative imaging projects. This work involved long-term col- laborations with Paul Tafforeau on synchrotron im- aging of dental tissue, and through other methods of understanding early life tooth growth and develop- ment, such as the collaborations with dental re- searchers Manish Arora and Christine Austin look- ing at breastfeeding signals in tooth chemistry. Her considerable expertise in dental growth and devel- opment and its evolution in our lineage has allowed her to offer a uniquely bottom-up approach to intro- ducing dental anthropology, specifically by intro- ducing the structure and growth of dental tissues as a way to approach questions of import to primate evolution as well as health and well-being in modern human societies. The book is comprised of nine chapters, grouped into three sections covering major concepts in dental development, evolution, and what teeth reveal about behavior in addition to an introduction, conclusion, index, and a uniquely formatted ‘notes’ section that occupies a useful halfway house between endnotes (collected by chapter, though placed at the end of the text) and a formal bibliography. The flow of the book follows a path that might be expected from the au- thor’s special interest in dental structures. From Chapter one we are immediately immersed in the complications of tooth biology, and while it is a daunting subject, the explanations are clear and con- cise. Chapter two ties the structure of teeth to their development, while chapter three introduces the obverse of development in the form of growth dis- ruptions and other features that reveal information about past lives such as carious lesions and maloc- clusion. Chapter four begins the section on evolu- tion, and we follow from fish through to hominin fossils by Chapter five, which presents major argu- ments in hominin dental evolution (enamel/dentine thickness, size reduction) without being overly dog- matic. Chapter six is perhaps the most interesting of the book, as it deals directly with the author’s subject of expertise, dental growth and development and the evolution of our species. The potential for new re- search in this area is immense, and the treatment here allows the reader to sense this. The final section is devoted to how dental anthro- pology can be used to examine behavior, with a nu- anced discussion in Chapter seven of what is (and isn’t) possible to say about past diet from teeth alone. While some of the discussion of the interpreta- tion of barium stable isotope ratios as a weaning sig- nal may eventually need to accommodate a wider range of elements to fully describe the trophic die- tary processes revealed in dental tissue, this chapter clearly introduces fascinating and important applica- tions of developmentally focused dental anthropo- logical research. Chapter eight continues with an up- to-date discussion of the possibilities and pitfalls of biomolecular analyses as well as a very brief look at a variety of other subjects including morphology, wear, and sexual dimorphism. Finally, Chapter nine introduces the many ways teeth can be culturally modified, such as for display, with wear making a reappearance in the discussion. In closing, Smith considers the future of teeth, offering a glimpse into the changing evidence of life history and adaptation to new lifestyles teeth reveal. The main strength of this book is that it asks the reader to begin at the beginning by foregrounding the developmental process of dental tissues, an ap- proach that provides a solid foundation for dental anthropological research. In addition, it addresses several of the bugbears of dental anthropology, with very careful attention paid to theories which may have been taught as current for decades but within narrow subfields are being challenged, such as the BOOK REVIEW The Tales Teeth Tell. By Tanya M. Smith. MIT Press. 2018. 296 pp., $29.95 (hard cov- er). ISBN: 978-0262038713. 31 Dental Anthropology 2020 │ Volume 33 │ Issue 01 idea that molar eruption in primates maps directly onto life history stages such as age at weaning or reproduction, or that the dental (and facial) reduc- tion seen in our species in the last ~10,000 years is completely understood. It is a comprehensive and detailed introduction to dental anthropology, so much so that it is possible to wonder if the work is targeted to a public or professional audience. It is of considerable utility to the advanced student or non- specialist seeking to broaden their knowledge, but the author’s willingness to share her love of anthro- pological science and discovery suggests a hope that it will fall into the hands of someone who does not (yet) know the fascination of dental anthropology. It speaks to the depth of subject matter in the field that Smith’s foray into accessible writing about den- tal anthropology comes so close on the heels of the excellent volume by Peter Ungar but still offers much of unique interest. While some basic descrip- tions of tissues or processes might repeat those in other texts, Smith’s volume maintains a distinctive voice while uniquely presenting a cell–up perspec- tive on dental tissues. A nuanced understanding of the processes of tooth development allow the author to relay the complicated and, frankly, difficult to di- gest, patterns of enamel and dentine formation in a comprehensible way. Very few undergraduates come to dental anthropology with a developmental perspective, but given the potential for research in this area to answer big questions about evolution and behavior, this seems like a timely reframing of what is necessary for the anthropologist to know about teeth. It is a rather large ask to take micro- histology and make it into something that inspires wonder, but I do hope that of the many anthropolo- gy students who will eventually pick up this book at least a few catch the sense of excitement and possi- bility Smith so clearly feels for the tales teeth can tell. BRENNA RYAN HASSETT Institute of Archaeology University College London