Jon Trevelyan (UK)
It’s that point of 12 months once more, with Christmas hurrying upon us, that our ideas flip to presents for that fossil-loving good friend, relative, and positively the reader him or herself. And what higher than a sumptuously illustrated espresso desk e book, with forwards by some excessive class palaeontologists, specifically, the great and the good Richard Fortey and NHM aficionado, Melanie Hopkins? Effectively, that is it – look no additional.
Secher is the creator of Travels with Trilobites: Adventures in the Paleozoic, which I reviewed a short time in the past. I assumed that e book was extraordinarily good, however that is an order of magnitude even higher. OK – as I implied, it has all of the hallmarks of a espresso desk e book (and there’s nothing mistaken with that), however the footage are wonderful – pretty much as good as I’ve seen. However on the identical time, it covers some fascinating issues about these extraordinary, extinct creatures.
Because the textual content on the quilt states:
For greater than 250 million years, the primeval oceans of the Paleozoic teemed with trilobites. These hardy invertebrates developed into an astonishing array of separate species – greater than 25,000 ultimately depend – and far stays unknown about these once-ubiquitous creatures. Fossil fanatics are captivated by trilobites’ variety and adaptableness, enthralled by the potential for catching a glimpse of a transcendentally unusual.”
So true – actually for me.
It’s price noting on the outset, the e book is just not in any method introduced in an instructional type or as an instructional. Somewhat it gives an eclectic vary of related and fascinating matters to dip out and in of within the creator’s “high ten” lists. To take as examples some the chapters that particularly caught my consideration, the chapter entitled “10 Important Figures in Trilobite Historical past” covers Joachim Barrande, Sir Roderick Murchison, James Corridor, Louis Agassiz, Charles Darwin, Harry Whittington, Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Fortey and Niles Eldredge, with brief biopics of all these common suspects.
The chapter entitled, “10 Creatures That Got here Earlier than Trilobites” reminds readers that, whereas trilobites appeared to seem absolutely fashioned within the fossil file, they will need to have had evolutionary antecedents. However the paucity of the fossil file on this respect, Secher discusses a number of organisms that present at the very least some perception into trilobite historical past and morphology. And these embody soft-bodied trilobites that even have a chapter to themselves (“10 Vital Gentle-Tissue Trilobites”, which additionally covers the mushy tissue preservation of trilobite components from later instances than the early Cambrian).
And within the chapters entitled, “10 Precariously Predated Trilobites” and “10 Tales Advised by Trilobites”, the creator discusses how the fossils inform fascinating tales associated to their behaviours and existence. This consists of being predated on in a clearly harmful world, and things like defensive postures and fossilised eggs.
And, inevitably (and essentially), there’s a glossary of trilobite terminology.
The e book has about 350 color images of absolutely preserved specimens, and these are the premise of why it’s so good. Nonetheless, additionally it is written in a really accessible, partaking and informative type. In actual fact, the creator’s light-hearted type and the trilobite fossils, details, and options that he presents, as one reviewer wrote, is “a preferred ‘hit parade’ of trilobite details, figures, and phenomena”.
And he combines present scientific data with sensible info on tips on how to gather trilobites, tips on how to put together them, the place to seek out them, and a lot extra.
Lastly, it’s price quoting instantly from Niles Eldredge’s evaluate of the e book:
Wow! I’ve by no means earlier than seen so many superb trilobites between the covers of a single e book as I’ve in Andy Secher’s new extravaganza … Secher is likely one of the premier trilobite collectors of the world, and he can inform you every thing about what it takes to seek out, gather, ‘put together, ‘ and examine trilobites. His images are superb. Trilobites are superb. Be ready to be dazzled and amazed!”
Given Eldredge’s repute within the pantheon of greats (he’s at present curator emeritus, Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Pure Historical past), that is reward certainly. Along with Travels with Trilobites: Adventures in the Paleozoic, I think these two volumes will function the granite bookends to these different trilobite books on palaeontologists’ bookshelves.
Concerning the creator. Andy Secher is likely one of the world’s foremost trilobite collectors and is a discipline affiliate in palaeontology on the American Museum of Natural History. He’s additionally co-editor of the museum’s Trilobite Website. He has been a discipline affiliate in palaeontology on the American Museum of Pure Historical past for greater than 20 years.
He additionally curates one of many world’s largest personal trilobite collections and, apparently, his personal assortment includes greater than 4,000 trilobite fossils. As I mentioned once I reviewed that different e book of his – “I’m jealous”.
The Trilobite Collector’s Information, by Andy Secher, Columbia College Press (New York (2024), hardback (472 pages), ISBN: 978-0-231213806
Trending Merchandise
