8-minute read
keywords: paleontology

The opening of Fossils: The Essential Guide sets the tone as to who the intended audience is, with invertebrate palaeontologist Paul D. Taylor pointing out that palaeontology and archaeology are not the same thing. Ah yes, that old chestnut. To me, that means you intend to write a book for general readers who are interested but lack relevant background knowledge. Part of the long-running publishing programme of the London Natural History Museum (NHM), this is a whistlestop tour of life’s diversity as revealed by the fossil record. My take is that “It is good, but…”, as I feel the formula somewhat restricts it from being the accessible and thus truly essential guide that it wishes to be.

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