A Guide to Fossils

Mayr, Helmut; Dineley, D, and ?Windsor, G. - Translators

ISBN 10: 0691029229 / ISBN 13: 9780691029221

Published by Princeton University Press - bOLLINGEN sERIES XX, Princeton, New Jersey, 1996

About this Item

256 Pages Indexed. No defects noted. Indterior text and illustrations are flawless. is book presents a series of photographs and short descriptions of fossils, both animal and plant. It is for the amateur fossil collector to use in the field or home but is also a gallery of remarkable photographs which should delight any natural history enthusiast. In his foreword to the original German text Professor Mayr drew to the reader's attention just how extraordinary is the profusion of fossils to be found in the sedimentary rocks around us. They provide abundant evidence of the evolution of life in the past. The amateur collector is almost immediately faced with the problems of identifying and categorizing his materials and of understanding something of the classification of both animals and plants. For example the mollusc group, which since the beginning of Cambrian time some 570 million years ago has revealed about 100,000 different genera. A good college text-book of palaeontology can only deal with a small fraction of this number, and a guide such as this makes do with 180 or so. These are, however, the invertebrate fossils one finds most commonly in the field. This book has a representative selection of all such fossil groups. There is brief general diagnoses of some of the more common kinds of fossils and a listing of the essential characteristics of the genus depicted. The collection of specimens which forms the basis of these illustrations is in the Bavarian State Museum of Palaeontology and Historical Geology in Munich. Such fossils, or others very like them, are of course found not only in southern Germany but in many countries beyond the boundaries of Bavaria. Professor Mayr was able to reduce the descriptive text to an admirable minimum without losing its value, and we have followed his lead. There are already several pocket guides to fossils; each has its limitations. This little volume presents a unique collection of excellent photographs of uncommonly well-preserved material.Illustrated with more than 500 color photos. Contents: Introduction, Animal Fossils, Plant Fossils, Forms Resembling Fossils, Further Reading, and Glossary.

Seller Inventory # 14845

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Guide to Fossils
• Publisher: Princeton University Press - bOLLINGEN sERIES XX, Princeton, New Jersey
• Publication Date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691029229
• ISBN 13: 9780691029221
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Illustrator: Hoffman, Helmut - Drawings
• Edition: Second Printing
• Condition: Fine

About this title

Synopsis

Anyone interested in collecting fossils or in learning more about the previous life of these animals and plants will find a wealth of information in this lavishly illustrated guide. Here Helmut Mayr brings together over five hundred color photographs with concise and lively descriptions of both common and unusual fossils. Intended to aid amateurs in specimen identification and classification, this book offers an encyclopedic breadth of coverage that many specialists too will find useful.

In his introduction Mayr discusses the most important genera of animals and plants, the origins of fossils and the forms of their preservation, tips on collecting and on recovery and storing, technical terminology, and insights into scientific research. The main section contains illustrations and descriptions of the fossils themselves, with an emphasis on ammonites, but also including corals, mollusks, snails, echinoderms and brachiopods, vertebrates, and plants. Each illustrated example is accompanied by information on distinguishing marks, geographical distribution, period of existence, and the habits and ecology of the important representatives of the individual genera.

About the Author

Helmut Mayr is Assistant Professor affiliated with the Bayrische Staatssammulung für Paläontologie und Historische Geographie, Munich.