Travels with the Fossil Hunters

Whether dodging bullets in West Africa, or rabid dogs in Pakistan, surviving yak-butter tea in Tibet, or eating raw fish in China, the life of a globe-trotting fossil hunter is often hazardous and always filled with surprises. Travels with the Fossil Hunters lets readers share the wonder, joys of discovery, and excitement of these intrepid scientists. Packed with more than 100 beautiful, full-color photographs, the volume takes readers on twelve expeditions to remote parts of the world in search of diverse fossil remains, from those of dinosaurs to human ancestors. Each expedition by paleontologists from London's Natural History Museum reveals the problems and challenges of working in extreme conditions, from the deserts of the Sahara and Yemen to the frozen wastes of Antarctica, from the mountains of India to the forests of Latvia. Along the way they also describe the paleontology and geology of the countries they visit and the scientific reasons for their expeditions. With a foreword from Sir David Attenborough and an introduction from Richard Fortey, this fascinating book will appeal to amateur and professional fossil hunters alike and to readers interested in accounts of exotic locales. Peter Whybrow is a research scientist at the Natural History Museum, London. His research interests include Arabian Miocene vertebrates, paleoclimates, paleogeography, and biotic diversity. He is senior editor with A. Hill of Fossil Vertebrates of Arabia (Yale University Press, New Haven, 1999).

YA-Twelve essays by British paleontologists-each more colorful, humorous, or exciting than the one before. Their work draws these men and women to places such as India, China, Latvia, Yemen, the Sahara, and the Antarctic. They are shot at in Sierra Leone, undergo rabies treatments in Pakistan, and have their work interrupted by police when a recently buried body is dug up instead of a Neandertal in the caves of Gibraltar. The essayists give enough details of their quests to explain their presence in these places and keep science buffs entertained, while communicating their fascination with their work. Readers see them camping in the wilderness, making friends with people from other cultures, undergoing the rigors of travel in remote areas, and dealing with emergencies of many kinds. Heightening the impact of the stories is an abundance of beautiful, colorful photos of the places, the people, and the fossils. This isn't a reference book-there is not even an index. But for students interested in pursuing any science that might require them to go into the field, it offers a glimpse of the real life they might encounter in such a profession (after all the study, and beyond the quests for grants). For general readers as well as those who seek out books on dinosaurs and other life-forms from Earth's past, this entertaining volume reveals the human face behind the science, and shows a world still rich with promise.
Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.