British palaeontologist Thomas Davidson (1817-85) was born in Edinburgh and began his studies at the city's university. Encouraged by German palaeontologist Leopold von Buch, he began to study brachiopod fossils at the age of twenty, and he quickly became the undisputed authority. He was elected fellow of the Geological Society of London in 1852, receiving the Wollaston medal in 1865. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1857. Published between 1850 and 1886, this six-volume work became the definitive reference text on the subject. It includes more than two hundred hand-drawn plates and a comprehensive bibliography. This volume, the second of six, details the Permian and Carboniferous brachiopod species.

Richard Owen F.R.S. (1804-92) was a controversial and influential palaeontologist and anatomist. Owen studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and at London's St Bartholomew's Hospital. He grew interested in anatomical research, and after qualifying he became assistant conservator in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and then superintendent of natural history in the British Museum. He quickly became an authority on comparative anatomy and palaeontology, coining the term 'dinosaur' and founding the Natural History Museum. He was also a fierce critic of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, and engaged in a long and bitter argument with Darwin's 'Bulldog', Thomas Huxley. Published in 1868, this is the third book in a highly illustrated three-volume set that comprises a thorough overview of vertebrate anatomy. This volume completes the analysis of mammalian anatomy and includes a chapter of general conclusions.

A significant limitation on the development of zoology, botany and palaeontology in the mid-nineteenth century was the absence of a centralised collection of specimens. Appointed superintendent of the British Museum's natural history departments in 1859, the distinguished biologist Richard Owen (1804-92) quickly realised the need to make various scattered samples more readily available for study, and began campaigning for a new, national museum with unprecedented space and resources. This book is the text of one of his speeches to the Royal Institution, given in 1861 and first published in 1862. He argues against the usual practice of exhibiting only one type form for each genus, provides possible floor plans, and presents case studies across the zoological field which show the limitations of the then current system. He also stresses a new idea, that such a museum should aim not only to help scientists, but to educate the general public.

Covering a wide area of the London and Hampshire basins, the London Clay has been famous for over two hundred years as one of the richest Eocene strata in the country. In this work, first published between 1849 and 1858, Fellows of the Royal Society Richard Owen (1804-92) and Thomas Bell (1792-1880) describe their findings from among the reptilian fossils found there. The book is divided into four parts, covering chelonian, crocodilian, lacertilian and ophidian fossils, and includes an extensive section of detailed illustrations. Using his characteristic 'bone to bone' method and an emphasis on taxonomy, Owen draws some significant conclusions; he shows that some of Cuvier's classifications were wrongly extended to marine turtles, and adds to the evidence for an Eocene period much warmer than the present. The work is a fascinating example of pre-Darwinian palaeontology by two scientists later much involved in the evolutionary controversy.

Originally published in 1946, this is the eighth edition of a book that was first published in 1893. It deals, specifically, with the fossils of the Invertebrata. The general plan is to give, for each group, first, a short account of its general zoological features with a more detailed description of the hard parts of the animals; secondly, its classification and the characters of the important genera, with remarks on the affinities of some forms; and thirdly, a description of the present distribution, and the geological range. The account of each genus is followed by the enumeration of typical species, so as to guide the student in making use of a large collection. The numerous figures help to explain the structure and terminology. For a number of years, Woods' Palaeontology held its place as the standard work on the subject.

In this 2008 text, two of the world's leading experts in palynology and paleobotany provide a comprehensive account of the fate of land plants during the 'great extinction' about 65 million years ago. They describe how the time boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene Periods (the K T boundary) is recognised in the geological record, and how fossil plants can be used to understand global events of that time. There are case studies from over 100 localities around the world, including North America, China, Russia and New Zealand. The book concludes with an evaluation of possible causes of the K T boundary event and its effects on floras of the past and present. This book is written for researchers and students in paleontology, botany, geology and Earth history, and everyone who has been following the course of the extinction debate and the K T boundary paradigm shift.

First published in 1883, this study of the fossils of Upware and Brickhill originally appeared in 1879 as the Sedgwick Prize Essay for that year. Its author, Walter Keeping, was an expert in the Neocomian faunas of Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, and in this comparative study he examines the close palaeontological relationship between the Ironsand and Phosphatic series of fossils found at Upware, Potton, Brickhill, and Farringdon. He goes on to explore the resemblance of Upware oysters to Jurassic species, the distribution of Brachiopod shells, and the difficulties that arise when attempting to date fossils. Containing tables of vertebrate and invertebrate examples from England and Europe as well as an eight-plate section of detailed illustrations, this volume will be of value to anyone interested in geological and palaeontological studies from the nineteenth century.

On the basis of extensive material in the form of letters, pamphlets and the recollections of friends and contemporaries, Jules Marcou (1824-1898) tells the story of the life and work of Louis Agassiz in this two-volume work of 1896. The Swiss-born palaeontologist, glaciologist and zoologist (1807-1873) is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the modern American scientific tradition. Marcou, a fellow countryman and collaborator of Agassiz, does not attempt to conceal his high regard for the subject of his biography but does have 'in view the truth'. In a chronological narrative, Volume 1 traces the childhood and early professional success of Agassiz, including his charming of the great von Humboldt. It describes Agassiz' time as professor in Switzerland and his marriage, ending with the arrival of Agassiz in America and his first attempts at forging a university career there.

This book brings together for the first time the published information on the Quaternary cold stage flora of over eighty sites in Britain and Ireland to present a factual cold stage flora from the fossil record. The data provides a basis for an interpretation of the flora, vegetation, and environments of some of the most extraordinary periods in the earth's most recent history, now only seen in the imperfect mirror of today's Arctic. This important study aims to reveal the nature of an environment, relatively stable, but completely different to that of today. As such, it will be significant to those interested in the Quaternary and also to a wider audience of those studying the present flora, fauna and environment, including climate and climatic change. A CD-ROM with a database of the cold stage flora in searchable format is included.

A. C. Seward (1863 1941) was an eminent English geologist and botanist who pioneered the study of palaeobotany. After graduating from St John's College, Cambridge, in 1886 Seward was appointed a University Lecturer in Botany in 1890. In 1898 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was appointed Professor of Botany in 1906. These volumes, published to great acclaim between 1898 and 1919, provide a detailed discussion and study of an emerging science. In the early nineteenth century, research and critical literature concerning palaeobotany was scattered across disciplines. In these volumes Seward synthesised and revised this research and also included a substantial amount of new material. Furnished with concise descriptions of fossil plants, detailed figures and extensive bibliographies these volumes became the standard reference for palaeobotany well into the twentieth century. Volume 1, published in 1898, contains an overview of palaeobotany with systematic descriptions of fossil plants.

A. C. Seward (1863 1941) was an eminent English geologist and botanist who pioneered the study of palaeobotany. After graduating from St John's College, Cambridge, in 1886 Seward was appointed a University Lecturer in Botany in 1890. In 1898 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was appointed Professor of Botany in 1906. These volumes, published to great acclaim between 1898 and 1919, provide a detailed discussion and study of an emerging science. In the early nineteenth century, research and critical literature concerning palaeobotany was scattered across disciplines. In these volumes Seward synthesised and revised this research and also included a substantial amount of new material. Furnished with concise descriptions of fossil plants, detailed figures and extensive bibliographies these volumes became the standard reference for palaeobotany well into the twentieth century. Volume 2, first published in 1910, contains systematic descriptions of fossil ferns.

A. C. Seward (1863 1941) was an eminent English geologist and botanist who pioneered the study of palaeobotany. After graduating from St John's College, Cambridge, in 1886 Seward was appointed a University Lecturer in Botany in 1890. In 1898 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was appointed Professor of Botany in 1906. These volumes, published to great acclaim between 1898 and 1919, provide a detailed discussion and study of an emerging science. In the early nineteenth century, research and critical literature concerning palaeobotany was scattered across disciplines. In these volumes Seward synthesised and revised this research and also included a substantial amount of new material. Furnished with concise descriptions of fossil plants, detailed figures and extensive bibliographies these volumes became the standard reference for palaeobotany well into the twentieth century. Volume 3, first published in 1917, contains systematic descriptions of fossil seed plants.

A. C. Seward (1863 1941) was an eminent English geologist and botanist who pioneered the study of palaeobotany. After graduating from St John's College, Cambridge, in 1886 Seward was appointed a University Lecturer in Botany in 1890. In 1898 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was appointed Professor of Botany in 1906. These volumes, published to great acclaim between 1898 and 1919, provide a detailed discussion and study of an emerging science. In the early nineteenth century, research and critical literature concerning palaeobotany was scattered across disciplines. In these volumes Seward synthesised and revised this research and also included a substantial amount of new material. Furnished with concise descriptions of fossil plants, detailed figures and extensive bibliographies these volumes became the standard reference for palaeobotany well into the twentieth century. Volume 4, first published in 1919, contains systematic descriptions of fossil ginkgoales and coniferales.

This 1971 volume presents the proceedings of a Symposium of Micropalaeontology of Marine Bottom Sediments held in Cambridge, England, in September 1967. The collection and paleontological interpretations of deep-sea sediments had only been carried out intensively for the twenty years preceding the book's publication, and it provides a summary of the state of knowledge in this field as it stood. Beginning with a consideration of the organisms in relation to the water in which they live, successive chapters deal with the descent of the skeletons to the sea floor, their entombment in the sediments and their interpretation to elucidate the history of the oceans. It is written by many of the specialists responsible for the development of this field and includes numerous Russian contributions. This book became the definitive compendium for students and workers in oceanography and palaeontology, and is still a useful resource today.

Gideon Mantell (1790 1852) was an English physician and geologist best known for pioneering the scientific study of dinosaurs. After an apprenticeship to a local surgeon in Sussex, Mantell became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1811. He developed an interest in fossils, and in 1822 his discovery of fossil teeth which he later identified as belonging to an iguana-like creature he named Iguanadon spurred research into ancient reptiles. These volumes, first published in 1838, contain a series of eight lectures which describe and explain early principles of geology, stratification and fossil plants and animals to a non-scientific audience. These detailed volumes became Mantell's most popular work, and provide a fascinating view of the study of geology and palaeontology during the early nineteenth century. Volume 2 contains lectures 5 8, discussing marine fossils including animals and corals, fossil plants and volcanic rocks.

On the basis of extensive material in the form of letters, pamphlets and the recollections of friends and contemporaries, Jules Marcou (1824-1898) tells the story of the life and work of Louis Agassiz in this two-volume work of 1896. The Swiss-born palaeontologist, glaciologist and zoologist (1807-1873) is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the modern American scientific tradition. Marcou, a fellow countryman and collaborator of Agassiz, does not attempt to conceal his high regard for the subject of his biography but does have 'in view the truth'. In a chronological narrative, Volume 2 tells of Agassiz' professorship at Harvard and the founding in 1859 of the Museum of Contemporary Zoology, where he remained as director until his death. Although Darwin believed the Swiss scientist's theory on parallelisms provided evidence for evolution, Agassiz was no evolutionist but saw the plan of God everywhere in nature.

Originally published by Cambridge in 1991, this book is a translation of a unique Russian study of fossil plant distributions in the Jurassic and Cretaceous world. The core of the work is the description and assessment of floras of the USSR, China and Japan. Information on the floras of this extensive and productive area had hitherto been available only in scattered and sometimes obscure Russian journals. Vakhrameev also summarises the more familiar Western work and divides the continents into regions and provinces illustrating the palaeolatitudinal climatic arrangement of floras. The work deals first with megafossil plants and with land plant palynomorphs. The time covered from 200 to 65 million years ago ranges both before and immediately after the main angiosperm radiation from about 130 to 100 million years ago. Vakhrameev's work represents a vast source of data, which will be of interest to any student of Mesozoic seed plants.

The Quaternary has been a period of major climatic and environmental oscillations, and our knowledge of these past variations is important for our understanding of the possible impact of human activity on the present-day environment. First published in 1999, Quaternary Climates, Environments and Magnetism presents an account of the rich variety of uses of magnetic measurements in the environmental geosciences. Ten chapters by leading world authorities describe the highlights of environmental magnetic work during the last decade and identify directions for future research. Emphasis is placed on a multidisciplinary approach to achieve a more thorough understanding of the environmental processes involved. This volume will be of interest to research scientists from a wide range of disciplines working on Quaternary environments, including earth and environmental sciences, physical geology, geography and palaeoclimatology. It will also be valuable as a supplementary text for graduates and advanced undergraduates.

John William Salter (1820 1869) was an English naturalist and geologist, best known for his work as palaeontologist to the Geological Survey of Great Britain. This is a complete catalogue of the Cambrian and Silurian fossils in the Geological Museum at the University of Cambridge. Preceded by a detailed introductory section on the Pal ozoic system, the catalogue is arranged by geological strata, covering the various groups of Cambrian and Silurian fossils. The entries include detailed illustrations, along with references to the location of each fossil in the collection, its name and details of its place of origin. Revised by staff of the University and published posthumously in 1873, the catalogue also contains a substantial preface by Adam Sedgwick, famous for his role in the development of modern geology, which provides fascinating insights into the geological advances of the Victorian era.

Published in 1931 to complement Seward's magisterial four-volume textbook Fossil Plants, this book is a digest of his earlier detailed study, written for a non-specialist audience as an introduction to the field of palaeobotany. Seward begins by describing the basics of geology and palaeobotany in order to explain how the interpretation of fossilised plant remains found in rocks can shed light on the natural world of prehistoric times. He then covers geological periods in chronological sequence, from the Pre-Cambrian to the Quaternary. Throughout, he emphasises the fragmentary nature of the evidence and the difficulties in extrapolating from the surviving fossil record, but he also explains the great discoveries made in the field and how they came about. The accompanying drawings give an impression of the likely combinations of plants found in each period, allowing the reader to visualise the different landscapes evoked in Seward's engaging prose.

The collections of fossils housed in this museum, now known as the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, are of international importance. The original collection was begun in 1728, and grew rapidly. This catalogue by Henry Woods (1868 1952), a graduate of the University of Cambridge who undertook curatorial work in the museum between his graduation in 1890 and his appointment as a Demonstrator in Paleobotany in 1892, was first published in 1891. It contains the specific names, classes and orders of 558 specimens in the museum which are 'type specimens' for particular species, and was primarily intended for scholars searching for the location of those specimens. Woods also included the names of individuals who had described each specimen, the name of the collection it was in and references for the specimen. His book provides a valuable record of important fossils in the collection at the time of publication.

Gideon Mantell (1790 1852) was an English physician and geologist best known for pioneering the scientific study of dinosaurs. After an apprenticeship to a local surgeon in Sussex, Mantell became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1811. He developed an interest in fossils, and in 1822 his discovery of fossil teeth which he later identified as belonging to an iguana-like creature he named Iguanadon spurred research into ancient reptiles. These volumes, first published in 1838, contain a series of eight lectures which describe and explain early principles of geology, stratification and fossil plants and animals to a non-scientific audience. These detailed volumes became Mantell's most popular work, and provide a fascinating view of the study of geology and palaeontology during the early nineteenth century. Volume 1 contains lectures 1 4, discussing the formation and composition of rock strata, chalk formations and fossil animals.

The Artist and the Scientists: Bringing Prehistory to Life presents the extraordinary lives and works of eminent paleontologists Patricia Vickers-Rich and Tom Rich, and Peter Trusler, one of the finest artists of scientific realism Australia has produced. Over more than thirty years, Patricia, Tom and Peter have travelled across Eastern Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, Australia and New Zealand in search of the remains of early life, including fish, dinosaurs, birds and mammals. Their successful expeditions, and the many publications and exquisite artworks that have ensued, are a testament to their scientific methodology, thirst for knowledge and eye for detail. The book follows the development of selected works of art covering the last 600 million years of the geological record. Told from the viewpoints of both scientist and artist, the reader is given a unique insight into the process of preserving and recording the evolution of prehistoric life.

"PaleoBase" represents a unique combination of up-to-date systematic information on an extensive collection of fossil genera, state-of-the-art color digital photographs of representative specimens from The Natural History Museum's unrivalled paleontological collections, and modern relational database technology.

"PaleoBase" provides an important new tool for the teaching of life history in a wide variety of advanced secondary, undergraduate, and graduate courses (e.g., paleontology, historical geology, stratigraphy, paleoceanography, paleobiogeography). Instructors will find the database a rich resource for lecture presentations, discussions, and laboratory exercises. Students will find "PaleoBase" an invaluable addition to traditional textbooks, and a key reference source for basic systematic paleontology.

High-quality zoomable digital images
Complete systematic, life-habit and paleoecological descriptions by taxonomic specialists from The Natural History Museum, London
Chronostratigraphic and paleogeographic distribution
Glossary of terms and bibliography
Full search either by name, age, chronostratigraphy, or morphology
Morphological keys and labelled images

PaleoBase Macrofossils Part 3 contains over 350 records of Cnidaria, Echinoderms (incl. asteroids, blastoids, carpoids, crinoids, cyclocystoids, cystoids, echinoids, edrioasteroids, edrioblastoids, eocrinoids, helicoplacoids, holothurians, and ophiuroids), Sponges, and 'Problematica' (incl. early metazoans) fossil groups. These fossil genera are illustrated with over 1,500 color digital images of specimens. This fully relational database includes full genus descriptions, chronostratigraphy, paleoecology, of bibliography of over 500 references to the primary research literature, a glossary of over 600 morphological terms, and an interactive identification key.

For an online demonstration and guided tour of "PaleoBase: Macrofossils" please visit: www.paleobase.com/

For an information brochure, or for any queries, please e-mail [email protected]

Gran Barranca in Patagonia exposes the most complete sequence of middle Cenozoic paleofaunas in South America. It is the only continuous continental fossil record of the Southern Hemisphere between 42 and 18 million years ago, when climates at high latitudes transitioned from warm humid to cold dry conditions. This volume presents the geochronology of the fossil mammal sequence and a compilation of the latest studies of the stratigraphy, sedimentology, mammals, plants, invertebrates and trace fossils. It is also the first detailed treatment of the vertebrate faunal sequence at Gran Barranca, providing important new evidence about biotic diversity and evolution in the native species. A revised taxonomy allows a reevaluation of the origination and extinction of herbivorous mammals, marsupials, and xenarthrans, and the earliest occurrence of rodents and primates in southern latitudes. Academic researchers and advanced students in vertebrate paleontology, geochronology, sedimentology and paleoprimatology will value this wealth of new information.