Travels with the Fossil Hunters - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521663016 ISBN 13: 9780521663014

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2000

Synopsis

Travels with the Fossil Hunters tells twelve stories of expeditions to remote parts of the world in search of diverse fossils such as dinosaurs and human ancestors. Palaeontologists relate the problems and curiosities they encounter whilst 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. They tell us what field expeditions are really like: dodging bullets in West Africa or rabid dogs in Pakistan, surviving yak-butter tea in Tibet or raw fish in China. Along the way they also describe the palaeontology and geology of the countries they visit and the scientific reasons for their expeditions. Copiously illustrated with spectacular colour photographs and with a foreword from David Attenborough and an introduction from Richard Fortey, this fascinating book will appeal to anyone interested in travelling and fossils, amateurs and professionals alike.

About this title

Review

' ... a collection of well written entertaining accounts ... a good-humoured and enlightening read!' Bulletin of the British Ecological Society

' ... the modern counterpart of Shackleton's South or Humboldt's earlier travels in South America. ... The fossil hunters here are ordinary palaeontologists from the Natural History Museum in London, and this book documents their travels to every corner of the globe. And, while some imagine the next find as potentially turning the science upside down, the discoveries charted here are personal and concern people and cultures as much as fossils ...'. The Times Literary Supplement

'... a fun book to read, and will be of interest to professionals and amateurs alike.' Palaeontologia Electronica

'This is a beautiful book. At first glance it looks like a rather glossy coffee table book, but when you stop looking at the numerous spectacular colour photographs and start to read the fascinating accounts of twelve British palaeontologists working in remote areas of the globe, you realise that it is much more than that! Armchair travellers will delight in the glimpses of other cultures and far flung places.' Mary Howie, OUGS Journal

Book Description

Twelve stories of the problems, curiosities and geology that palaeontologists encounter working in extreme field conditions, from desert to frozen waste, from mountain to forest. Copiously illustrated and with a foreword from David Attenborough, this fascinating book will appeal to anyone interested in travelling and fossils, amateurs and professionals alike.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521663016
• ISBN 13: 9780521663014
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 230
• Editor: Whybrow Peter J.