British Palaeozoic Fossils by The Natural History Museum

British Palaeozoic Fossils

by The Natural History Museum

British Museum (Natural History), 1964, black & white plates throughout, paperback

Good Condition, previous owners inscription on title page, 

'Illustrating the life of such an immense period within the limits set by a handbook of this nature presents considerable problems of selection, not made easier by the frequent distortion and indifferent preservation of many of these ancient fossils, the earliest of which take us back 600 million years, virtually to the beginning of macroscopic life capable of preservation.  Four hundred and forty-three species of animals and plants are illustrated, which is seventh-eight more than in the Mesozoic volume, but they represent a much smaller percentage of the known forms.

The opening of the Palaeozoic era, some 540 million years ago, coincides with a remarkable burst of evolutionary activity. In British Paleozoic Fossils 443 species from this time, and the following 300 million years, are described and classified and illustrated with accurate line drawings. From Silurian trilobites and Devonian fishes to Carboniferous brachiopods, the book features those animal and plant species that are most commonly found in Britain. Crucially, this new edition has been fully revised and updated by specialists from the world renowned Department of Palaeontology at the Natural History Museum, London, reflecting advances in our understanding of the fossil record. The book includes 69 plates of accurate black-and-white line drawings. Each of the species is illustrated with at least one drawing, which is accompanied by details of where it can be found. There are also stratigraphical tables showing the classification of British Palaeozoic rock formations and a comprehensive listing of the geological distribution of each species illustrated, which can be cross-referenced with the appropriate illustration. A brief explanation of the scientific names of fossils and a map of the distribution of Palaeozoic strata are also available.'