Fossils

Fossils (1981) by Rudolf Prokop – Hamlyn

ISBN: 0600353702
Condition: Good
Published: 1981
Provenance: Ex-library copy with protective dust jacket; minimal internal markings
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

There was a time when the Earth was populated by extraordinary creatures, vast oceans teemed with peculiar organisms, and evolution was busily experimenting with biological designs that would eventually be abandoned through extinction, environmental catastrophe or the unfortunate discovery that possessing an enormous shell was not necessarily a guarantee of long-term survival.

Welcome to Fossils, Rudolf Prokop’s fascinating exploration of the prehistoric world, published by Hamlyn in 1981, when dinosaurs were still generally depicted dragging their tails along the ground and nobody had quite finished arguing about what had happened to them.

Fossils are among nature’s more remarkable achievements. They allow organisms that have been dead for millions of years to continue making occasional appearances, usually after somebody has spent a wet afternoon attacking a cliff with a geological hammer.

From ancient marine creatures and delicate shells to the remains of long-vanished plants and animals, the fossil record provides an extraordinary window into the history of life on Earth.

And what a history it is.

Entire groups of organisms flourished for millions of years before disappearing, continents shifted, oceans advanced and retreated, and creatures of astonishing complexity came and went without ever troubling themselves about mortgages, income tax or the rising cost of electricity.

Prokop’s volume introduces readers to this extraordinary geological inheritance, exploring the preserved remains of prehistoric life and the scientific detective work required to interpret them.

For the amateur fossil enthusiast, there is something irresistibly appealing about discovering that an unremarkable-looking stone might contain the remains of an animal that lived hundreds of millions of years before the invention of human civilisation.

It rather puts the inconvenience of a delayed train into perspective.

Published in 1981, this Hamlyn volume also possesses the charm of vintage natural-history publishing, from an era when illustrated reference books were indispensable companions for curious readers, enthusiastic collectors and children determined to return from seaside holidays carrying several kilograms of suspicious-looking rocks.

Condition: Good. This is an ex-library copy, complete with a protective dust jacket that has helped preserve its external appearance. Importantly, the interior is hardly marked, making it a pleasing example of a former library book that appears to have escaped the more enthusiastic attentions of generations of borrowers.

There is something rather appropriate about a book devoted to preservation having itself benefited from protective covering. Unlike the unfortunate creatures within its pages, this volume has survived its encounters with the outside world in respectable condition.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where ancient remains are appreciated, geological curiosities are welcomed, and the occasional ex-library survivor is considered considerably more desirable than a genuine extinction event.

An appealing addition to any collection of palaeontology, natural history, geology or vintage illustrated reference books.

A reminder that everything eventually becomes history, although relatively few of us can reasonably expect to look this interesting after several million years underground.

Keep browsing: See more History books Other books by Rudolf Prokop