LONG LONG AGO, IS THE USUAL START OF MANY FAIRY TALES; BUT THIS BOOK DOES NOT CONTAIN FAIRY TALES. IT TELLS US ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST OF THE EARTH AS WELL AS HUMANS. IN VERY SIMPLE LANGUAGE IT ALSO TELLS US HOW MYSTERIES OF PALEONTOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY ARE UNRAVELED BY SCIENTIFIC METHODS. IT IS ALSO A STORY OF HUMAN CULTURE. IT REFLECTS ON THE EARLY. AGRICULTURE, HOW HUMAN EVOLUTION WAS CONTROLLED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, WHAT SAND TELLS US ABOUT OUR PAST, HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS DECIPHER SMALL CLUES AND COME TO THEIR CONCLUSIONS ABOUT FOSSIL ANIMALS AND HOW THESE ANIMALS LIVED, HOW MAN REACHED THE AMERICAS, HOW HE SPREAD OVER ASIA. IT GIVES INFORMATION ABOUT INDIANS AND THEIR SEAFARING WAYS. MANY THINGS ARE REALESED TO READERS IN SIMPLE, CLEAR AND EASILY UNDERSTANDABLE LANGUAGE IN A PRECISE MANNER...भारतासारख्या फार पूर्वीपासून मानवी संस्कृती नांदत असलेल्या देशात पुरातत्व आणि मानव शास्त्रांकडे आपलं खरं तर दुर्लक्षच होतं. दुसरं म्हणजे बरेचदा आख्यायिकांवर आपण जास्त विश्वास ठेवतो आणि ऐतिहासिक सत्य नाकारतो. ऐतिहासिक व्याQक्तंना देवत्त्व बहाल करताना ती ही माणसंच असतात हेही आपण विसरतो. प्राचीन मानवाची प्रगती माहीत करून घेण्याच्या ह्या शास्त्रांची तोंडओळखसुद्धा शालेय अभ्यासक्रमात करून दिली जात नाही; ही एक दुर्दैवी घटना आहे.