Book review: British Fossils, by Peter Doyle
Jon Trevelyan (UK)
The fossil bearing rocks of the British Isles contain the remains of life from the last 2,900Ma and the UK is seen, by many, as the cradle of modern geology. With this is mind and using a geological map of Britain, palaeontologist Peter Doyle offers a comprehensive guide to UK fossils, plotting the main fossil groups around the country and relating them to the different ages of the rocks in which they are found. With photographs of the fossils that can actually be discovered, and tips on how to find them yourself, British Fossils is the perfect companion for the novice fossil hunter and amateur enthusiast.
The book is well written and, unlike other publications, gives an honest insight into the fossils commonly found in the UK. That is, the high quality photographs are of fossils that can realistically be collected, rather than of a few selected museum specimens that most of us could never aspire to find.
Peter Doyle is a visiting professor at University College, London, who also teaches palaeontology and geology at a number of other universities. He is the author of numerous scientific papers and books, including The Key to Earth History: An Introduction to Stratigraphy (with Matthew Bennett, and Alistair Baxter) and ‘nderstanding Fossils: An Introduction to Invertebrate Palaeontology.
British Fossils, by Peter Doyle, Shire Publications, Buckinghamshire (2008), 64 pages (paperback), ISBN: 978-0747806868