Fantastic fossil. A guide to finding and identifying prehistoric life / Фантастические ископаемые останки. Руководство по поиску и идентификации доисторической жизни

Fossils are cool. Fossils are amazing. This book is about the incredible stories fossils tell us, and the staggering insights they give us into the history of the earth and the evolution of life. I hope you find this quick tour through the world of fossils both informative and enjoyable.

The idea for this book was originally suggested by my former editor at Johns Hopkins University Press, Dr. Vincent J. Burke. Working with talented illustrator Mary Persis Williams, Vince envisioned a book that would illustrate and explain fossils and paleontology to the broadest possible audience, from young adults to fossil enthusiasts of every age. But we didn’t want it to be a simple “field guide” with a lot of illustrations of common fossils. There are plenty of those books, and many of them are badly out
of date. Instead, I explain the fundamentals of paleontology and how to collect and identify fossils, providing practical information for any interested student or collector. Much more detailed information is presented here than you will find in picture guides to fossils. I hope this book provides enjoyable reading not just for rock hounds and hobby collectors but also for those who want to learn a bit more about fossils and how paleontologists study and understand them. It is suitable for introductory college classes in which students are learning a bit about paleontology but don’t need an advanced college-level textbook. I have chosen a mix of stories and illustrations of important and commonly collected fossils along with some of the more interesting and extreme fossils that are only seen in museums. <...>