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Richard Fortey's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Richard Fortey recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Richard Fortey's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1
Some 250 million years ago, the earth suffered the greatest biological crisis in its history. Around 95% of all living species died out--a global catastrophe far greater than the dinosaurs' demise 65 million years ago. How this happened remains a mystery. But there are many competing theories. Some blame huge volcanic eruptions that covered an area as large as the continental United States; others argue for sudden changes in ocean levels and chemistry, including burps of methane gas; and still others cite the impact of an extraterrestrial object, similar to what caused the dinosaurs'... more
Recommended by Richard Fortey, and 1 others.

Richard ForteyThe story of life is not just that of new things appearing but it’s also a story of things dying out at certain periods. (Source)

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2
Australopithecines, dinosaurs, trilobites--such fossils conjure up images of lost worlds filled with vanished organisms. But in the full history of life, ancient animals, even the trilobites, form only the half-billion-year tip of a nearly four-billion-year iceberg. Andrew Knoll explores the deep history of life from its origins on a young planet to the incredible Cambrian explosion, presenting a compelling new explanation for the emergence of biological novelty.


The very latest discoveries in paleontology--many of them made by the author and his students--are integrated...
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Richard ForteyIt’s very important, when we muck around with the atmosphere as we’re doing, to realise that what we have is actually a product of this ineffable and long period of planetary evolution. (Source)

Andrew ScottKnoll shows the intimate relationship between the evolution of life and the evolution of the planet. (Source)

Paul FalkowskiWhat Andy has done is really exposed us to the world before animals and plants, when there was strong evidence of life but the world was totally controlled by single celled organisms, the protists. (Source)

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3

Trilobites

Trilobites lived for over 300 million years in the seas of the world, and the remains of their hard parts have long attracted collectors. This study focuses on kinds of trilobites from rocks of all the Palaeozoic periods in a series of over 120 photographs with complementary texts. less
Recommended by Richard Fortey, and 1 others.

Richard ForteyTrilobites were one of the most important animals living in the seas of ancient times. (Source)

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4

Dinosaurs

Take a journey through the prehistoric world and trace the evolution of the most astonishing creatures ever to have walked the earth. Over 170 giant-sized and superbly detailed computer generated illustrations provide a stunning visual catalogue of dinosaurs, bringing the prehistoric world to life like never before. The expert text identifies each species - what they looked like, what they ate, how they lived and died. Packed with the latest research and discoveries, this giant-sized title is as unique and impressive as the dinosaurs themselves. less
Recommended by Richard Fortey, and 1 others.

Richard ForteyThis is a dinosaur book by two people that really know their dinosaurs and that’s why I chose it. (Source)

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5
High in the Canadian Rockies is a small limestone quarry formed 530 million years ago called the Burgess Shale. It hold the remains of an ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived—a forgotten corner of evolution preserved in awesome detail. In this book Stephen Jay Gould explores what the Burgess Shale tells us about evolution and the nature of history. less
Recommended by Richard Fortey, and 1 others.

Richard ForteyRegarded almost as a demi-god, Gould’s written a number of good books. He writes extremely well, but the book that touched me most was this one. (Source)

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