One of the most notable events in the history of paleoanthropology was the description of 'Piltdown Man', a hoax that took 40 years to uncover. At the centre of this episode was Sir Arthur Smith Woodward, who was duped by the 'discoverer' and fossil forger, Charles Dawson. Smith Woodward never doubted the authenticity of this find and died before the denouement of the Piltdown episode. His last major work was a summary of Piltdown Man and its associated 'science'. The Earliest Englishman is well-written and crafted, and still is worthy of being read at the present day, 70years since the forgery was exposed.
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