A Field Guide to Collecting British Cenozoic Fossils, by Steve Snowball and Alister Cruickshanks
Jon Trevelyan (UK
Books devoted specifically to collecting Britain’s Cenozoic fossils are surprisingly rare. While collectors are well served by guides to the country’s Palaeozoic and Mesozoic fossils, the younger deposits that record the last 66 million years of Earth history have received far less attention. A Field Guide to Collecting British Cenozoic Fossils aims to address that gap by providing a practical introduction to the fossils and collecting sites associated with these deposits.
I should begin by declaring a small personal connection. I have known Alister Cruickshanks for many years and, together, we have built Deposits into the publication it is today. That long association inevitably means I approach this book with some familiarity with one of the persons involved. Nevertheless, it is best judged on what it sets out to do – provide a practical guide to collecting fossils from the Cenozoic deposits of Britain.
The book focuses on the younger part of Britain’s fossil record and is aimed primarily at collectors who want practical guidance on where to search and what they are likely to find. It illustrates many of the fossils commonly encountered in these deposits, including a wide range of marine shells, sharks’ teeth and other vertebrate remains, together with plant material and other typical finds from British Cenozoic sediments. The photographs are generally clear and useful for identification, particularly for beginners encountering these fossils for the first time. The text itself is competently written and keeps the focus firmly on the practicalities of fossil collecting, rather than detailed academic discussion.
The book also briefly ventures into the much younger end of the fossil record, covering Ice Age material, such as mammoths, elk deer and even rhinoceros. This is a welcome inclusion. Fossils from Britain’s Quaternary deposits are sometimes encountered by collectors, yet they are rarely treated in practical collecting guides, so even a short introduction to these remains helps address another small but genuine gap in the literature.
The guide also forms part of a growing series of fossil-collecting books by Steve Snowball, several of which have previously been reviewed in Deposits. As with those earlier volumes, the emphasis here is firmly on practical guidance for collectors, rather than academic treatment. Much of the book is organised around well-known collecting localities, including the classic Eocene exposures of the Isle of Sheppey, together with important Cenozoic sites in Norfolk and Suffolk, as well as the rich Tertiary deposits of the Isle of Wight. This site-based structure makes the guide particularly useful in the field, allowing collectors to relate the fossils illustrated in the book directly to the places where they are most likely to be found.
Just as importantly, and as I say above, the guide fills a noticeable gap in the literature. While British collectors are well served by books covering Palaeozoic and Mesozoic fossils, accessible guides devoted specifically to Britain’s Cenozoic fossils have been surprisingly scarce. For Deposits readers in particular, many of whom regularly visit coastal collecting sites around the country, this focus on the younger fossil record will be especially welcome.
Taken as a whole, A Field Guide to Collecting British Cenozoic Fossils succeeds in what it sets out to do. It provides a clear and practical introduction to a part of Britain’s fossil record that is often overlooked in collecting guides, while offering useful identification photographs and accessible information on some of the country’s best-known Cenozoic localities. Collectors visiting classic sites such as the Isle of Sheppey, the Isle of Wight and the fossil-bearing deposits of Norfolk and Suffolk will find it a useful companion in the field. For anyone interested in exploring Britain’s younger fossil deposits, it represents a welcome and practical addition to the collector’s bookshelf.
About the authors
Steve Snowball is the author of a number of practical guides aimed at fossil collectors, particularly those interested in British material. His books focus on helping collectors recognise fossils and locate productive collecting sites, combining identification photographs with accessible geological explanations. Through this series of field guides, he has developed a reputation for producing practical handbooks designed to be used directly in the field by amateur collectors.
Alister Cruickshank is the owner of UK Fossils and associated websites, and also the publisher of Deposits. A long-time fossil collector, he has a particular interest in Britain’s Quaternary deposits and the Ice Age mammals they preserve. Through his websites and publishing work, he has played an important role in promoting fossil collecting and communicating geological knowledge to a wider audience.
A Field Guide to Collecting British Cenozoic Fossils, by Steve Snowball and Alister Cruickshanks, independently published (2026), paperback (190 pages), ISBN: 979-8267945547