Trilobites of New York / Трилобиты Нью-Йорка

T o m Whiteley, an accomplished amateur paleontologist, has taken the lead in compiling a much-needed popular account of the trilobites of New York. Sumptuously illustrated with generous photographs of complete specimens of New York trilobites, this book is more than a regional field guide. It also testifies to Gerry Kloc's expertise in preparation and Carlton Brett's keen insight about the rocks and complex facies of the state. In essence, the book reprises the work of Charles Walcott, another accomplished amateur paleontologist of a century and a quarter ago.
The technical literature on trilobites is vast. It is dispersed through numerous paleontological journals, in specialized books, and as century-old monographs. Even a dedicated trilobite paleontologist with access to a university library would have difficulty retrieving all of it. The popular literature on trilobites is a lot easier to access, if only because there is so little of it. Few professional paleontologists have considered it important to write field guides to fossils along the lines of the popular regional guides to flowers, mushrooms, trees, insects, and birds that are available in every bookstore across America. Fewer still have written books exploring the natural history of fossils. <...>