Overview

This updated edition of the highly successful volume, created in conjunction with London's Natural History Museum, has all the strengths of the original...and more. Completely redesigned and revised, it now features two fascinating new sections that reflect the contemporary state of the field: How to Recognize Fossils and Molecular Paleontology. Readers will find this a straightforward, fascinating, and highly attractive introduction to fossils, their study, and their use in reconstructing the history of the earth.

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9781402762543

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Praise for Richard Fortey's Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum : [A] loving survey of his life at the museum. -- Financial Times .,. always authoritative... there is plenty of solid science to enjoy, elucidated with brilliant flair. -- Sunday Times Engaging...Fortey's writing is enough to make the behind-the-scenes work of the museum totally fascinating.... (his) delightful book, like the museum it describes, is both rambling and elegant. -- Sunday Telegraph .,. authoritative and attractive. -- Nature

This book is not a field guide, yet it provides essential information that many field guides lack. It is not a picture book, yet it provides many good pictures of fossils. It is not a textbook, yet it provides excellent text on fossils. So, what is it? Answer: It is a rarity among its flashier rivals in the publishing trade. Fossils is a clearly written, straightforward book...This is an excellent and intelligent book. -- William C. Philips The Science Teacher This book is written in a clear and engaging style, technical terms are minimized but well defined, and complex concepts are simplified yet accurately presented such that both novice and professional will profit from this work...Fortey's many years of service as a paleontologist with the British Museum of Natural History prepared him well for the technical material presented, but his superb writing ability will account for much of the probable success of this book. It should appeal...to anyone interested in a very readable account of the history of life on our planet. In this attractive, well-illustrated book, Richard Fortey traces a more or less chronological progression from early Precambrian life through the vertebrates, including hominids, giving due credit to the great diversity and abundance of invertebrate fossils. Fortey also explains the essential biological, taxonomic and geological concepts that underlie paleontology...Fortey maintains the reader's interest throughout by his use of lyrical, commonly humorous language and excellent black-and-white drawings and color photographs...This book offers an excellent introduction to paleontology, pulling together in a concise manner the multiple facets that make contemporary paleontology a dynamic and exciting field of study. -- Samantha A. Harlow and Joseph G. Carter American Scientist .,. authoritative and attractive. -- Nature Praise for Richard Fortey's Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum : [A] loving survey of his life at the museum. -- Financial Times .,. always authoritative... there is plenty of solid science to enjoy, elucidated with brilliant flair. -- Sunday Times Engaging...Fortey's writing is enough to make the behind-the-scenes work of the museum totally fascinating.... (his) delightful book, like the museum it describes, is both rambling and elegant. -- Sunday Telegraph .,. authoritative and attractive. -- Nature

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