The Atlas of Life on Earth: The Earth

The Atlas of Life on Earth offers a comprehensive, chronological survey of the Earth, its landscape and its life forms, from the beginning of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago to the present.The atlas is accessibly organized in six major parts, with 18 chapters devoted to each of the major geological periods, in which the crucial geological and biological developments in the history of our planet are described in lucid and intriguing detail. A concluding section looks at the ways in which the Earth and its biosphere continue to evolve today.

Each chapter begins with a timeline of the geological period in question and a vivid and arresting map presenting a ‘snapshot from space' of the world as it was then. These maps, together with detailed artworks (including lavish reconstructions of prehistoric landscapes), stunning photographs, and explanatory diagrams, take the reader on a fascinating, informative, and awe-inspiring journey through time.

Specially devised feature spreads illustrating graphically and elegantly the evolution and relationships of each major group of plants and animals provide the reader with an incomparable reference source. Each section of the atlas has been written by an acknowledged expert in the relevant field, ensuring clear, informed coverage of the exciting and extraordinary story of the evolution of our planet.

Part 1: In the Beginning

Part 2: The Early Paleozoic

Part 3: The Late Paleozoic

Part 4: The Mesozoic

Part 5: The Tertiary

Part 6: The Quaternary

PART 1 (IN THE BEGINNING)Richard Moody is Emeritus Professor at Kingston University, London, where he has taught paleontology and sedimentology for 30 years.  As well as being an author or co-author of over 22 books, he has worked as a consultant for the petroleum industry for 25 years. He was president of the Geologists' Association of Great Britain from 1998--2000.PART 2 (THE EARLY PALEOZOIC)Andrey Zhuravlev is a leading scientist of the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow and holds the prestigious Doctor of Science degree, the highest awarded in Russia in his field. He has worked in Siberia, Mongolia, Australia, Iran and other regions collecting Precambrian and Cambrian fossils, and his present scientific work is devoted to paleoecology.PART 3 (THE LATE PALEOZOIC) AND PART 4 (THE MESOZOIC)Dougal Dixon is a well-known author of popular science whose books have been published all over the world.  He holds a master's degree in geology but is more familiar to readers as an authority on dinosaurs, about which he has written more than 20 books, many of them for children and young adults.PART 5 (THE TERTIARY) AND PART 6 (THE QUATERNARY)Ian Jenkins is a researcher in comparative anatomy and vertebrate paleontology in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol. His work has taken him to South Africa, the United States, and Canada in pursuit of fossils. Among other projects, he contributed to the celebrated 1999 BBC series Walking with Dinosaurs.