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From the heart of National Geographic comes this expansive guide to the clans, tribes, ethnicities, and peoples of the world.

Organized in keeping with our knowledge of the migration of human groups through history, with statistics and a cultural portrait of each ethnic group, People of the World becomes a fascinating round-the-world tour of customs and traditions as well as a go-to source for background information to round out one's own family history.

From the Tuvans of Siberia to the Samoans and Tahitians of Polynesia, from the Mapuche of Chile to the Sami of Scandinavia, 222 of the world's 10,000-plus ethnic groups are featured. Some were chosen because of their commonality as ancestors to many; others were chosen because their numbers are dwindling, and soon their cultures may become extinct. Maps, photographs, and traditional sayings enhance the accounts of many of the most important and interesting cultures in the world today.

Spencer Wells is an explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society and the director of the Genographic Project. After studying under genetic pioneer Luigi Cavalli-Sforza at Stanford University, Wells began an unusual career that mixes science, writing, and filmmaking. His acclaimed first book, The Journey of Man, combined his own DNA research with the work of archaeologists, paleoanthropologists, paleoclimatologists, and linguists to show how modern humans came to populate the planet. He is also the author of Deep Ancestry.

K. David Harrison is a linguist and anthropologist specializing in endangered languages, and is cofounder of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages. He has conducted field research in numerous countries where cultures are threatened by globalization. His book The Last Speakers: The Quest to Save the World's Most Endangered Languages explores the consequences of language loss and efforts at revitalization. He lives in Philadelphia and teaches at Swarthmore College.

Pam Ward, an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator, found her true calling reading books for the blind and physically handicapped for the Library of Congress' Talking Books program. The fact that she can work with Blackstone Audio from the beauty of the mountains of Southern Oregon is an unexpected bonus.

Catherine Herbert Howell has conducted field research among urban women in India and among Indian immigrants in New York City. A former National Geographic staff member, she has authored a dozen publications and has contributed to dozens more, including previous editions of Peoples of the World, Wonders of the Ancient World, and the Expeditions Atlas. She was also the editor of Out of Ireland, a companion volume to the PBS documentary. She lives in Arlington, Virginia.