Are the Natural History Museum British Fossils ID Guides any good?

[EntomoloJosh]

Hello,

As a complete beginner to fossil collecting (and by extension, identification), I'm a bit lost as to where to start looking for identification resources, and so I'm having a look at some general ID guides for UK fossils, and I saw that the NHM has published a collection of three books (Cenozoic, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic). I'm wondering if these are any good for a complete beginner such as myself?I f not, which ones can you recommend?

Thank you

Edited January 24 by EntomoloJosh

[TqB]

1 hour ago, EntomoloJosh said:

Hello,

As a complete beginner to fossil collecting (and by extension, identification), I'm a bit lost as to where to start looking for identification resources, and so I'm having a look at some general ID guides for UK fossils, and I saw that the NHM has published a collection of three books (Cenozoic, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic). I'm wondering if these are any good for a complete beginner such as myself?I f not, which ones can you recommend?

Thank you

They're excellent and fairly up to date as regards current nomenclature, each new edition being revised with specialist input. 

They're limited by the number of species illustrated of course and you'll need specialist literature eventually.

A more technical introduction that I like, with many photos of specimens (a lot of them British), is the Atlas of Invertebrate Macrofossils by John Murray, readily available second hand. 

Edited January 24 by TqB

[EntomoloJosh]

2 hours ago, TqB said:

They're excellent and fairly up to date as regards current nomenclature, each new edition being revised with specialist input. 

They're limited by the number of species illustrated of course and you'll need specialist literature eventually.

A more technical introduction that I like, with many photos of specimens (a lot of them British), is the Atlas of Invertebrate Macrofossils by John Murray, readily available second hand. 

Good to know, and thanks for the recommendation, I'll have a look around!

[jpc]

yes, those three books are great.  

 

[paleoflor]

Hi Josh,

 

If you're looking for books on UK fossils, you might enjoy some of the "Field Guides to Fossils" published by The Palaeontological Association.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tim

[Tidgy's Dad]

Yes, those field guides are wonderful.