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If I have a paleontology book that is over my head, therefore "free to good home in the US," where should I post it?

If I had to choose one, which should it be? Or perhaps something else entirely?

In a couple days is my birthday, and this year I will be 50. For the past couple weeks I have thought a lot about all of my successes in life, as well as my failers. As a husband, father, fisherman, fossil hunter. As well as just a human being. But as far as a fossil hunter, collector and enthusiast, one of my biggest failers is that I have not learned enough about the fossils I collect in my region. I have stated before in other post that I am not really that interested in brachiopods, gastropods, bivalves, etc. But I have come to realize that is not a good reason to not try to identify those things that I find, wether or not I decide to keep them. I want to become more educated about life from the past. And that may should include all fossils. Not just the ones I am after. So when my wife asked what I wanted for my birthday I told her I would like The Fossil Guide to Devonian fossils of New York by Karl A. Wilson. I was really happy when it showed up a couple days ago. I have already identified a few things that I have been curious about for years. I really don't know why it has taken me this long to want to know more about the fossils from my area. And, I really should clarify that, it is not that I don't find certain fossils interesting. That was a poor choice of words. I find all fossils interesting. But I do favor certain fossils over others and I tend to focus only on the fossils I am after and ignore the others unless I can't find the fossils I want. That is going to change. Not only for myself but as a member of the forum.

Guide To Fossil Collecting by the Dallas Paleontological Society Has anyone seen or purchased this new publication? I just finished a simple three-part series for our club members called Fossil Collecting 101 and I wanted to suggest some books to the new members. I am interested in how much it improves on older books as well as how specific it might be to Texas or the region. In the past the Dallas Paleo publications have been good and worth the money. But at $30 I think I will want to see it first before either suggesting it or buying one for myself. I already have half a dozen publications on the shelf on "how to collect fossils" as if I need anyone to tell me how at this late date...

I ordered a different book from ebay and they sent me the wrong one. At least it's still fossil-related, but it's outside my area of interest. I don't know if this is worth anything to anyone, but if you want it, I'll trade it for a fossil. I'm more into inverts but it can be just about any fossil, it doesn't have to be very valuable! (I didn't pay a lot for the book...) Alternatively I could offer it for the cost of shipping. (I'll relist it in the sales section if necessary)

So I was reading in The Dinosaur Heresies: New Theories Unlocking the Mystery of the Dinosaurs and Their Extinction by Robert T. Bakker and in it I came upon a line that says "Modern reptiles dominate the role of large freshwater predator. But dinosaurs didn't produce any swimming predators at all." (Pg 82) With the new evidence from Dr. Ibrahim about the spinosaurs, does Bakker's claim need to be revised? For those who have read his book, is there any other pieces of information that need to be revised in this book? I am writing a short paper for a biology class on it and would like to know what things have been contradicted by new evidence. Thanks!

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I can read to learn more about fossil identification (what to look for, what not to look for) and also about different rock identification and how they are formed? I am slightly new to all this and am wanting to improve my knowledge a bit. I just don't have any clue where to start. Questions I ask myself a lot are, "how can I tell if I'm holding a fossilized coral of some type and not just a rock that resembles one?" Thanks!

Does anyone know of a good book, pdf or websites that attempts to explain the evolution of cold climate flora (specifically conifers)? I would prefer a good book. I've been reading bits and pieces of things, but nothing that has answered any of my questions. I've noticed tons of material about warm climate flora, but almost nothing on cold climate flora. Conifers are a essential to life in the present time and they produce a third of the Earth's oxygen, and they have evolved to be the largest, tallest and oldest living flora. Why? What did cones evlove from (what part of the plant)? Sap, why? I have countless questions.....haha Thanks, Charlie

I am new to fossil hunting and science was never my strong subject. While I love hunting fossils, I am trying to learn how to both preserve/prepare and, identify what I have. I have numerous books; Expert Guide to Finding and Creating a Fossil Collection, Field Guide to Fossils of Texas (which gives scientific names), Complete Encyclopedia of Fossils, Fossils for Amateurs, Texas Fossils, Collecting Fossils. I am looking for a comprehensive book on Texas fossils which shows a color photo of the fossil, followed by the scientific name, i.e. calymene, following by grouping i.e. arthhropod, followed by the informal or common name, i.e. trilobite. That way I can start by identifying by the common name to at least give a starting point. Most of the really comprehensive books seem to provide only the scientific names, which at this point in my learning curve, aren't too useful. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for any help you can provide. Don

A while ago i decided to recommend an amber book to my school library. it was too expensive and they said they would not get enough use out of it (I know, such an atrocity to utter such words). But then i found THIS book, called Amazing amber, showcasing the highlights of the museum of scotland's amber collection, both in ancient jewelry and charms to *gasp* glitteringly beautiful and rare examples of microfauna and flora in various types of amber including burmese, baltic, dominican and mexican amber. And i mean gut-wrenchingly, blood-curdling, cramp-inducingly, eye-wateringly beautiful photos. In fact I practically revere it like someone else would revere a Mini bible. (i say someone else for a good, good reason) Finally, amber has been done justice in my library.

Has anyone read and can comment on the 2013 book by Douglas Erwin , "The Cambrian Explosion: The Construction of Animal Biodiversity" At approximately $60 I would like to get some comfort level that the book is worth purchasing.

Mark Witton is releasing a fabulous new book on Pterosaur anatomy and diversity. Obviously, since the release date is June 23rd, I haven't read it yet but it looks really really good. I'll be picking up a copy post-haste. You can find a detailed description of the book's contents and several sample chapters on here on Mark's site.

WOW! I recently decided to put my name in and catalogue all the books in my personal library. There was one book that was dated 1900 but the binding was fine for a book that old and someone had filled it with notes and colored most of the black and white plates of crinoids. The title is Text Book of Paleontology by Zittel, vol.1, London, 1900. So I thought the notes were made by a student and didn’t give it much thought. It wasn’t until yesterday April 1st. when I was going to stamp my name on the title page when I noticed that the previous owner signed his name. It read J. Wyatt Durham. I have had this book 15 years and had no idea that it was owned by a famous and important Paleontologist. When I researched Mr. Wyatt Durham, I found out that he was intent on locating the type specimens for the collection at Berkeley when he was their curator. This book has many notes in it about certain species that I am sure were on his list. Since the notes were written with pen and ink there are many pages where you can see his fingerprints and since the book was obviously rebound and the pages inside are well used, this book must have been an important tool for John Wyatt Durham. Pretty darn cool! In parallel with his interest in the history of paleontology and geology, he collected antiquarian books in the field, restored them, and bound them in their original, tooled leather style. This work was done at a professional level. Mikey Memorial to J. Wyatt Durham 1907–1996 RALPH L. LANGENHEIM, JR. Department of Geology, 245 NHB, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 J. Wyatt Durham was an invertebrate paleontologist and biostratigrapher. After an early career in petroleum exploration, he spent most of his life as curator and professor in the Museum of Paleontology and the Department of Paleontology at the University of California at Berkeley. During his 28 years as curator of fossil invertebrates, he greatly increased existing Mesozoic and Tertiary invertebrate collections and started an aggressive program building collections of older invertebrates. In addition, he brought the collection up to 20th century standards. This included an intensive search for type specimens that, in earlier days, had not been segregated and catalogued separately. Many of these fossils were part of the historically significant Whitfield and Pioche collections, purchased when the university first began its program in paleontology. Some were dispersed in the general collections, many of them not labeled as “type.” In fact, quite a few Whitfield “types” were being used in teaching collections! In addition, he promoted computerization of curatorial records. Throughout his professional career, Durham actively pursued field investigations, collecting thousands of fossils, and, more important, processing them into curated collections. Durham’s patient, systematic reconnaissance on the outcrop and his sharp, informed eye were impressive in action. He found interesting fossils where others walked right on by. He had a comprehensive interest in all aspects of paleontology, and his collecting wasn’t limited to immediate particular research projects; he avidly gathered materials likely to be important to others. Furthermore, he usually brought these fossils to the attention of the appropriate specialists. In some cases this led to joint publication with vertebrate paleontologists, paleobotanists, and investigators of invertebrate groups peripheral to his normal work. Durham organized the undergraduate and graduate invertebrate paleontology curriculum in the Department of Paleontology during the late 1940s and the 1950s. From the beginning, he kept pace with the rapid evolution of paleontology as the balance of interests shifted from description and biostratigraphy to greater emphasis on paleobiology, paleoecology, and patterns of evolution. His advanced courses and seminars dealt mostly with Mesozoic and Cenozoic fossils and problems. He also was largely responsible in the early 1950s for starting a graduate program in Paleozoic invertebrate paleontology and an undergraduate course in principles of stratigraphy. In parallel with his interest in the history of paleontology and geology, he collected antiquarian books in the field, restored them, and bound them in their original, tooled leather style. This work was done at a professional level. He also grew orchids and built his own telescope. Finally, perhaps in continuation of youthful avocations, he was an avid deer hunter. Durham was born August 22, 1907, at Okanogan, Washington, the son of John Wyatt and Sarah Evelyn Vandiver Durham. At the time, his father was dry-farming in eastern Washington, but his primary occupation was as a shipwright. Thus, most of Wyatt’s formative years were spent on the shores of Puget Sound. There he discovered paleontology when his high school science teacher encouraged his youthful interest in animals, plants, and fossils. After graduating from high school, he entered the University of Washington, where he was inspired and influenced by Charles Edwin Weaver. Weaver, with whom he maintained close association for as long as Weaver lived, sent him to study for his graduate degrees under Bruce Clark at the University of California at Berkeley. Thus, Durham acquired an abiding interest in Mesozoic-Cenozoic systematic paleontology and biostratigraphy, while training for a professional career in Mesozoic-Tertiary terrain under the mentoring of Weaver and Clark. After finishing his M.S. in 1936 he became a petroleum explorationist until 1939, working in Java and Sumatra for Nederlandische Pacific Petroleum Mij. While in the Dutch East Indies he collected the first Paleozoic fossils identified from Sumatra. According to his story, he thought they were Mesozoic, definitely not Tertiary; so he sent them to The Hague where they were identified as Paleozoic. Another incident, told in Berkeley, involved collecting a python. The job required using his full crew of local bearers and brush choppers to pin the snake down yard by yard. Returning to Berkeley and Bruce Clark, he completed his Ph.D. in 1941. From 1943 to 1946 he was chief paleontologist and geologist for Tropical Oil Company, a Standard Oil of New Jersey subsidiary, in Bogotá, Colombia. Sojourns in the East Indies and Colombia broadened his interests and scope beyond the American West Coast and introduced him to the art of field study in tropical and primitive regions. After a year, 1946–1947, as an associate professor of paleontology at the California Institute of Technology, he moved to the University of California at Berkeley as an associate professor of paleontology and curator of fossil invertebrates in the Museum of Paleontology. He was promoted to professor in 1953, and was chairman of the department from 1956 to 1957. After retiring in 1975, he continued active research in residence as professor emeritus until his death. He married Jane Roberts on August 6, 1935, and they had one son, John Wyatt Durham. Divorced in Berkeley, California, in 1971, he married Jean Brower Firby in 1972. In addition to being a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, Durham was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the California Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Society of Systematic Zoologists, the Paleontological Research Association, the Palaeontological Society (London), and the Japan Paleontological Society. He also was a Correspondent of the Instituto Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales. Wyatt was a three-time officer of the Paleontological Society: vice president, 1951–1953; president, 1965–1966; and co-editor of the Journal of Paleontology, 1971–1976. During his presidency and on the Council thereafter, his unflappable fair-mindedness was invaluable in dealing with “winding down” PS-SEPM dual sponsorship of the Journal of Paleontology and with the aggressive young paleobiologists starting publication of Paleobiology. Both of these events were traumatic incidents as the balance between scholarly and applied paleontology and among biostratigraphers, paleoenvironmentalists, “classical” systematists, applied micropaleontologists, and paleobiochemists shifted drastically during the second half of the 20th century. Durham also was a longtime (1950–1965) member of the Science Council of the California Academy of Sciences. He was a trustee of the Academy from 1959 to 1970 and president in 1966–1968. From 1966 through 1970 he was a member of the U.S. National Committee on Geology. Durham was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1954–1955 and 1965–1966. He received the Paleontological Society Medal in 1988 and the Journal of Paleontology Best Paper Award in 1993. Durham was a large, well-proportioned man of deliberate mien. He always thoroughly thought through his message before he spoke or wrote and, thereafter, expressed himself briefly and efficiently. When sharing his office, I noted that he carefully composed papers by hand on yellow legal paper. After being typed, these first drafts required only minimal editing. He invariably was serious in professional conversation, but did not lack a sense of humor. Both, or all, sides of every contested question always were examined carefully before decisions were rendered. This meant that his reactions were slow, but it also meant that he rarely found it necessary to give up a position. He usually turned out to be right. As a consequence, leadership responsibilities tended to fall upon him wherever he went. Durham supervised about 50 doctoral students among his more than 80 graduate students. He was author of about 125 papers and books. He could be considered to have had at least four major, separate scientific careers. He began working on the systematic and descriptive paleontology of Tertiary and Mesozoic molluscan corals and echinoderms. This led him into the biostratigraphy of these fossils and problems of global zonation, especially reconciling biostratigraphic schemes founded on different organisms. A “California School,” including Hubert Schenck, Simeon Muller, Robert Kleinpell, Ralph Chaney, R. A. Stirton, Durham, and their graduate students, hammered out these problems during the 1950s, 1960s, and later. They were major players in the post–World War II redirection of stratigraphy. At the same time, he associated himself with Paul Hurd and Robert Usinger’s paleoentomology program, searching for and determining the age of amber deposits containing fossil insects. Notably, Wyatt organized and directed a broad exploration and investigation of Chiapanecan (Mexico) amber deposits, involving his own graduate students and a group at the University of Illinois. A large collection of amber insects was gathered and their geologic distribution and age were established. Geologic mapping, stratigraphic description and correlation, studies of the botanical origin of the amber, and diverse paleontologic studies also resulted. Finally, late in his career, he became interested in late Precambrian and earliest Paleozoic invertebrates, mostly small diverse echinoderms. Here again, his work was a major component in a major advance in paleontologic science: the late 20th century reevaluation of the transition from late Precambrian to earliest Paleozoic faunas. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF J. W. DURHAM 1937 Operculina in the lower Tertiary of Washington: Journal of Paleontology, v. 11, p. 367. 1937 Gastropods of the family Epitonidae from Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks of the west coast of North America, including one new species by F. Earl Turner and one by Richard Allen Bramkamp: Journal of Paleontology, v. 11, p. 479–512, 2 pl. 1940 Eocene and Oligocene coral faunas of Washington: Journal of Paleontology, v. 16, p. 84–104. 1944 Megafaunal zones of the Oligocene of northwestern Washington: University of California, Department of Geological Science Bulletin 27, p. 101–211. —— (with Weaver, C. E., Edwin, C., and others) Correlation of the marine Cenozoic formation of western North America (Chart 11): Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 55, p. 569–598. 1949 Ontogenetic stages of some simple corals: University of California, Department of Geological Science Bulletin 28, p. 137–172. 1954 The marine Cenozoic of southern California, in Jahns, R. H., ed., Geology of southern California: California Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mines Bulletin 170, p. 59–71. 1955 Classification of clypeasteroid echinoids: University of California Publications in Geological Science, v. 31, p. 73–197. THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 8 1958 (and Melville, R., V.) A classification of echinoids: Journal of Paleontology, v. 31, p. 73–197. 1959 Palaeoclimates, in Ahrens, L. H., et al., eds., Physics and chemistry of the earth, Volume 3: New York, McGraw-Hill, p. 1–15. 1960 (and Allison, E. C.) The geologic history of Baja California [Mexico] and its marine faunas, in Symposium—The biogeography of Baja California and adjacent seas—Pt. 1, Geologic history: Systematic Zoology, v. 9, p. 47–91. 1963 (and Caster, K. E.) Helicoplacoidea—A new class of echinoderms: Science, v. 140, p. 820, 822. 1966 Evolution among the echinoidea: Cambridge Philosophical Society Biological Reviews, v. 41, p. 368-391. 1967 The incompleteness of our knowledge of the fossil record: Journal of Paleontology, v. 41, p. 559–565. —— (and MacNeil, F. S.) Cenozoic migrations of marine invertebrates through the Bering Strait region, in Hopkins, D. M., ed., The Bering Land Bridge: Stanford, California, Stanford University Press, p. 326–349. 1978 The probable metazoan biota of the Precambrian as indicated by the subsequent record: Annual Reviews of Earth and Planetary Sciences, v. 16, p. 21–42. 1985 Movement of the Caribbean plate and its importance for biogeography in the Caribbean: Geology, v. 13, p. 123–125. 1993 Observations on the Early Cambrian helicoplacoid echinoderms: Journal of Paleontology, v. 67, p. 590–604.

Hello, As I am starting to get into vertebrae specimens, I have had a hard time finding a good book with a focus on Dinosaur anatomy. I am looking for something that covers a wide range of specific species, with detailed skeletal drawings and descriptions. I always see pictures of these really well done drawings of individual bones that people tend to reference when trying to indentify something. What books do those come from and where can I get them? Every book I have so far has just a life model of the species and then a basci skeletal outline with no where near enough detail to try and identify individual bones. Any suggestions would be great!

After seeing some of Pleecans wonderful softbodied Chengjiang fossils as of late........ I ordered the book "The Cambrian Fossils of Chengjian.. the Flowering of Early Animal Life". Recieved it in the mail today from the UK took just a week to get here. Came to $50.83 including delivery. It is a beautiful book, very nice colour pictures throughout. Based on the first chapter it will be very readable. 233 pages.... Very pleased Also ordered the Arthropods of the Lower Chengjiang fauna but it has not arrived yet. Now I just need to figure out how to get me some of the fossils at reasonable prices.