Böcker om stenar och mineraler

Identify the rocks you discover and uncover the stories they hold.  What is that rock you’ve just picked up? Which minerals is it made of, what’s unique about it and what can it reveal about Earth’s deeper story?   Rocks gives you the tools to answer these questions. Geologist and science illustrator Vojta Hybl guides you through more than 100 rock types, explaining how they form, what they look like and the geological processes they represent.   This authoritative yet accessible guide includes: Clear explanations of igneous, volcaniclastic, sedimentary, metamorphic and anthropic rocks. Practical tips for spotting and identifying rocks, including detailed specimen illustrations that highlight key features for easy recognition. Insight into minerals, the rock cycle and Earth’s dynamic history. Alongside practical identification advice, Rocks invites you to see the ground beneath your feet in a new way, connecting everyday stones to billions of years of planetary change.  Whether you’re a curious walker, an outdoor enthusiast or simply fascinated by the natural world, this book will transform how you experience landscapes and help you read the stories written in stone.

Truly the ultimate one-volume book every hobbyist, jeweler, jewelry maker, and rockhound will ever need! Chock-full of more than 1,500 full-color photos showcasing each precious and semiprecious stone in both its rough and polished state, this bestselling reference book from leading geology expert Walter Schumann will be your go-to identification guide.Following the spectacular success of the first four editions of Gemstones of the World, the revised fifth edition exhibits important updates and a beautiful new cover. All the gemstones ever discovered are treated here in their many variations. More than 1,500 full-color photos showcase each precious and semiprecious stone in both its rough natural state and its polished and cut renditions. Each entry offers complete information on a stone's formation and structure; physical properties and characteristics; and methods of working, cutting, and polishing.You'll find full treatments of lesser-known gems and minerals—from andalusite to vesuvianite—and a special section devoted to rocks as precious stones, including alabaster, onyx, obsidian, and fossils. Organic gem materials such as coral, ivory, amber, and pearl are also covered, along with more recently discovered stones like charoite. Additionally, this all-inclusive rocks and minerals book includes imitations, synthetics, and combined stones. Charts and tables help you identify unknown gemstones and—when you’re in the market—how to check for authenticity.Whether you’re a beginner rock enthusiast or geologist, or are looking for a crystal book to support your spirituality practice, Gemstones of the World will bring new beauty and wisdom to your bookshelf.

Dive into an unprecedented survey of millions of years of life on planet Earth. Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life is a beautifully crafted encyclopedia of prehistoric species that the whole family can enjoy. Featuring an incredible mix of 3D reconstructions, extraordinary skeletons, and amazingly intricate fossils, it uses the latest scientific research to recreate a wealth of ancient species, from the earliest primitive life forms to great dinosaurs, early mammals, and even the first humans.This richly illustrated catalogue starts with the first Precambrian microbes and traces the evolution of life through mass extinctions and ice ages. As well as dinosaurs, it features extinct plants, invertebrates, amphibians, fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals, conjuring up a series of past worlds. The book also explores geological time and examines how fossils preserve the story of evolution.In the pages of this unique book of natural history, you'll find:- A detailed catalogue of over 500 animals, plants, fungi and microbes with illustrations and fact files unmatched by any other book on the market.- A tour of some of the most fascinating fossils and skeletons.- Clear CGI reconstructions give a new life to some of the oldest identified species, allowing you to visualise them as they would have existed on Earth.- Richly annotated artworks displaying geological processes including how Earth formed and how fossils are preserved in rockCombining stunning visuals and clear text, Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life is not only packed with fascinating prehistoric facts and species, it's beautifully foiled cover will take pride of place on your coffee table! The ideal gift for dinosaur enthusiasts and naturalists of all ages that will be treasured for years to come.

Combining stunning photographs with expert knowledge, this book is a dazzling guide to precious stones, organic gems, and precious metals.Discover the intriguing stories of the world's most famous and fabulous gems, including the mysterious Hope Diamond, the stunning Koh-i-Noor of the Crown Jewels, and exquisite Fabergé eggs. Trace the history of gemmology, learn all about the key characteristics of precious and semi-precious stones, and discover the science behind some of their more unusual and mysterious properties.With a foreword by antiques expert Judith Miller, co-founder of Miller's Antiques Price Guide, and a regular presenter on BBC's The Antiques Roadshow, this sumptuous celebration of gems and jewels is guaranteed to bring sparkle to both your life and your library.Dive deep into the pages of this dazzling book on jewels to discover: - Hundreds of specially commissioned, spectacular photographs.- Intriguing features on the history of gemstones, and the fascinating real-life stories behind them.- Stunning photography showcases the brilliance of semi-precious and precious stones, minerals, and metals.- Fascinating features on the most famous (and infamous) gems, and on the history of gemmology.- Optional 80-page directory sectionJewel is the ultimate guide to gemstones, jewels, and jewellery - combining mineralogy with culture, history, and symbolism, and proves the perfect addition to the library of jewel lovers of any ages. Whether you're interested in gems, jewellery, and making jewellery, or a student of gemmology or geology, this gorgeous gem gift book is sure to delight.

Gemstones have been a source of fascination for Millenia, from the icy brilliance of diamond and the soft iridescence of pearl, to the deep red garnets treasured by ancient Egyptians and Victorians alike. They are used for their natural beauty in jewellery, worn for protection as talismans, associated with romance and power. They are also of scientific importance, forming over billions of years and containing secrets to the inner earth. This book examines the world's most commonly encountered gemstones, exploring their unique beauty, rarity, and durability. It reveals how these gem materials formed, where they are mined, how they are identified by their physical and optical properties, their enhancements and imitations. Travelling through each gem's history and use in adornment, it is filled with fascinating facts for the curious to the professional. With sumptuous colour photographs, Gemstones is a dazzling insight into the world of the rare and valuable.

Unearth a treasure trove of knowledge and discover the spectacular array of rocks and minerals on Earth! Learn how to identify more than 500 rocks and minerals of the world through stunning photographs, detailed characteristics and quick, accessible text.Inside the pages of this comprehensive guide, you'll discover:- A clear visual key distinguishing different rocks and minerals to make identification easy and accurate- Each entry includes at-a-glance technical details, for quick reference- Stunning photographs show close-ups of key details and unique attributes- Highlights the key features of minerals: chemical group and composition, hardness, specific gravity, crystal cleavage, and fracture- Highlights the key features of rocks: group, origin, pressure and temperature, grain size and shape, classification, and fossilsFrom igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks to sparkling minerals, DK Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals leaves no stone unturned. Over 600 high-quality photographs highlight over 500 rock or mineral's distinguishing features. Explore concise details about each rock or mineral's texture, origin, formation, and chemical composition to help you with accurate identification.Updated EditionDiscover a mine of information at your disposal! Designed for beginners and experienced collectors alike, this mineralogy book explains what rocks and minerals are, how they are classified, and what equipment is needed for specimen collection. It's the ultimate gift for rock collectors - both beginners and enthusiasts, or anyone studying geology and earth sciences. An updated edition for 2021 to include the latest scientific knowledge and specimen classification.Complete the SeriesBefore you go, there are many more DK Handbooks to explore! Discover the cleanest-cut photographic field guide to over 130 gemstones from around the world in DK Handbooks: Gemstones. Learn all about dinosaurs and prehistoric animals and the world they inhabited millions of years ago in DK Handbooks: Dinosaurs.

The discovery of minerals beneath our feet has transformed our species. Ochre first prompted humans to express themselves in art; tin and copper helped instigate the Bronze Age and later the Industrial Revolution; silver kick-started the engines of global trade. Each of these substances generated a leap forward in technology, each one opened the imagination a little further - and each one brought with it a cache of unexpected dangers. Under A Metal Sky begins and ends in Philip Marsden's homeland of Cornwall, one of the world's great geological hotspots.Travelling eastwards into Europe, he examines how the extraction of peat propelled the Netherlands to world prominence but also imperilled its very existence. Continuing on up the Rhine by barge, into the heart of the continent, he uncovers more stories of potent and tempting resources, from iron-rich meteorites to radium and mercury, and the gold-bearing mountains of Georgia. At the same time he explores precious seams of ideas, from science to alchemy, mysticism to ecology - and those questing souls who pursued them, likeParacelsus, the Habsburg Emperor Rudolf II, Goethe,William Blake and Marie Curie. Rich with revelations, Under A Metal Sky traces the dazzling achievements and dark consequences of our ability to extract what we want from the earth, and presents a fascinating new perspective on European history and on our troubled relationship with the natural world.

Whales are among the largest, most intelligent, deepest diving species to have ever lived on our planet. We have hunted them for thousands of years and scratched their icons into our mythologies. They simultaneously fill us with waves of terror, awe and affection – yet we know hardly anything about them. Whales tend to only enter our awareness when they die, struck by a ship or stranded in the surf. They evolved from land-roaming, dog-like creatures into animals that move like fish, breathe like us, can grow to 300,000 pounds, live 200 years and roam entire ocean basins. Yet despite centuries of observing whales, we know little about their evolutionary past.Palaeontologist Nick Pyenson takes us to the ends of the earth and to the cutting edge of whale research as he searches for the answers to some of our biggest questions about these graceful giants. His rich storytelling takes us deep inside the Smithsonian’s unparalleled fossil collection, to frigid Antarctic waters, and to the arid desert of Chile, where scientists race against time to document the largest fossil whalebone site on earth.Spying on Whales is an illuminating story of scientific discovery that brings readers closer to the most enigmatic and beloved animals of all time.

A profound meditation on climate change and the Anthropocene and an urgent search for the fossils—industrial, chemical, geological—that humans are leaving behind A Times Book of the Year • A Daily Telegraph Book of the Year What will the world look like ten thousand or ten million years from now? In Footprints, David Farrier explores what traces we will leave for the very deep future. From long-lived materials like plastic and nuclear waste, to the 50 million kilometres of roads spanning the planet, in modern times we have created numerous objects and landscapes with the potential to endure through deep time. Our carbon could linger in the atmosphere for 100,000 years, and the remains of our cities will still exist millions of years from now as a layer in the rock. These future fossils have the potential to tell remarkable stories about how we lived in the twenty-first century.Through literature, art, and science, Footprints invites us to think about how we will be remembered in the myths, stories, and languages of our distant descendants. Travelling from the Baltic Sea to the Great Barrier Reef, and from an ice core laboratory in Tasmania to Shanghai, one of the world’s biggest cities, David Farrier tells a story of a world that is changing rapidly, and with long-term consequences. Footprints will not only alter how you think about the future, it will change how you see the world today.

This is a book about the dramatic periods in the Earth's history called mass extinctions - short periods (by geological standards) when life nearly died out on Earth. The most famous is the mass extinction that happened about 65 million years ago, and that caused the death of the dinosaurs. But that was not the worst mass extinction: that honour goes to the extinction at the end of the Permian Period, about 250 million years ago, when over 90% of life is thought to have become extinct.What caused these catastrophes? Was it the effects of a massive meteorite impact? There is evidence for such an impact about 65 million years ago. Or was it a period of massive volcanic activity? There is evidence in the rocks of huge lava flows at periods that match several of the mass extinctions. Was it something to do with climate change and sea level? Or was it a combination of some or all of these?The question has been haunting geologists for a number of years, and it forms one of the most exciting areas of research in geology today. In this book, Tony Hallam, a distinguished geologist and writer, looks at all the different theories and also what the study of mass extinctions might tell us about the future. If climate change is a key factor, we may well, as some scientists have suggested, be in a period of mass extinction of our own making.

What will remain of our plastic, cans, and other junk long after humans have vanished?What kind of fossils will we leave, as relics into the far future? A blizzard of new objects has suddenly appeared on Earth: plastic bottles, ballpoint pens, concrete flyways, outsize chicken bones, aluminium cans, teabags, mobile phones, T-shirts. They're produced for our comfort and pleasure ^—^ then quickly discarded. The number of our constructions has exploded, to outweigh the whole living world. This new-made treasure chest underpins our lives. But it is also giving a completely new style of fossilization to our planet, as hyper-diverse and hyper-rapidly-evolving technofossils spin out of our industrialized economy. Designed to resist sun, wind, rain, corrosion and decay, and buried in soils, seafloor muds and the gigantic middens of our landfill sites, many will remain, petrified, as future geology. What will these technofossils look like, in future rock? How long will they last and how will they change, as they lie underground for decades, then millennia, then millions of years? Discarded describes how they transform as they are attacked by bacteria, baked by the Earth's inner heat, squashed by overlying rock, permeated by subterranean fluids, crumpled by mountain-building movements ^—^ and what will be left of them. These new fossils also have meaning for our lives today. For we live on a world increasingly buried under our growing waste. As our discarded artefacts begin to change into fossils, they may be swallowed by birds, entangle fish, alter microbial communities and release toxins. Even deeply buried in rock, technofossils may break down into new-formed oil and gas, change the composition of groundwater, and attract new mineral growths. They will have a lasting impact.It is a new planetary phenomenon, now unfolding around us. Scientists are only just beginning to grasp its scale, and get to grips with how it functions. This book describes, for the general reader, the kind of science that is emerging to show the far-future human footprint on Earth. It offers a different perspective upon fossils and fossilization, one that expands the idea of what people think of as fossils, and what they can tell us.

Liquid 4He and 3He are the purest Brose and Fermi liquids currently available in nature. Understanding the dynamics and excitations of those quantum systems is a fundamental issue of science and a guide for more complex matter. The book develops the theory of zero sound, phonons, rotons, spin and single particle excitations in quantum solids and fluids in an historical context. The book brings the theory up to date in modern language with similarities between quantum solids and fluids drawn wherever possible. A survey of recent neutron scattering data in each system is presented. A critical comparison of theory and recent data provides a comprehensive assessment of our current understanding of collective and single particle excitations in quantum liquids and solids.

One of the hottest topics in low temperature physics during the last two decades has been the revelation of the astonishing properties of crystals of the rare isotope of helium, helium three. This book provides the first complete account of these properties. In it, experimental measurements are described and the development of their interpretation is discussed.Beginning with the phase diagram and thermal properties of this uniquely quantum crystal, Professor Dobbs introduces current theories of solid helium and compares their predictions with measurements of the ground state, elastic and thermal properties, and phonon spectra. the extraordinary magnetic properties are described and discussed in chapters on the paramagnetism, antiferromagnetism and ferromagnetism of the different phases of solid heliu. the text concludes with chapters on the growth of crystals, their defects and studies of monolayers, bilayers, and multilayers grown on a variety of substrates.This book provides an introduction to the extensive literature, particularly that published since 1980, for research staff and students in physics and physical chemistry with an interest in current developments in condensed matter.

This book is the first book dealing with structural crystallography of inorganic oxysalts in general. A special emphasis is placed upon structural topology and methods of its description. The latter include graph theory, nets, 2-D and 3-D tilings, polyhedra, etc. The structures considered range from minerals to organically templated oxysalts, for all of which this book provides a unified approach to structure interpretation and classification. Most of the structures have been analysed from the proposed viewpoint for the first time and it has been shown that they possess the same topological genealogy and relationships, sometimes despite their obvious chemical differences. In order to expand the range of oxysalts considered, the book offers not only traditional schemes but also alternative approaches such as anion topologis, anion-centered polyhedra and cation arrays. As such, this book can be considered as a comprehensive introduction into the amazingly complex and diverse world of inorganic oxysalts.

Distant relatives of modern lobsters, horseshoe crabs, and spiders, trilobites swam the planet's prehistoric seas for 300 million years, from the Lower Cambrian to the end of the Permian eras-and they did so very capably. Trilobite fossils have been unearthed on every continent, with more than 20,000 species identified by science. One of the most arresting animals of our pre-dinosaur world, trilobites are also favorites among the fossil collectors of today, their crystalline eyes often the catalyst for a lifetime of paleontological devotion. And there is no collector more devoted-or more venerated-than Riccardo Levi-Setti. With The Trilobite Book, a much anticipated follow-up to his classic Trilobites, Levi-Setti brings us a glorious and revealing guide to these surreal arthropods of ancient Earth. Featuring specimens from Bohemia to Newfoundland, California to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, and Wales to the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Levi-Setti's magnificent book reanimates these "butterflies of the seas" in 235 astonishing full-color photographs.All original, Levi-Setti's images serve as the jumping-off point for tales of his global quests in search of these highly sought-after fossils; for discussions of their mineralogical origins, as revealed by their color; and for unraveling the role of the now-extinct trilobites in our planetary history. Sure to enthrall paleontologists with its scientific insights and amateur enthusiasts with its beautiful and informative images, The Trilobite Book combines the best of science, technology, aesthetics, and personal adventure. It will inspire new collectors for eras to come.

Mineral collecting by amateur “rockhounds” has never been more popular. Old quarries, road cuts, and exposed landscapes are being examined by new generations of minerals enthusiasts. Each needs a comprehensive guidebook with clear photographs and accurate data. This is it.In a thick but handy format, more than 700 different minerals and rocks are grouped by colour (for ease of location in the book) — blue, red, yellow, brown, green, white and black crystals; brown and grey sedimentary rocks; and meteorites for anyone lucky enough to find one. Each has a picture – four to a page—opposite detailed but clear data: Chemical formula; Hardness; Colour; Density; Lustre; Cleavage; Fracture; Tenacity; Crystal form; Similar minerals and where they are likely to occur. And many will have a diagram of its crystal form—up to four, for fluorite, for example. The Minerals Encyclopedia is unusual for the number of minerals it covers: more than 700 in 444 pages, with a useful glossary, an introduction to mineral collecting, and printed front and back flaps that offer quick reference in the field, and a measuring rule on the back cover. This is a superior reference for rockhounds, geology students and outdoors people with an interest in what’s under their feet.

At a time when women were excluded from science, a young girl made a discovery that marked the birth of paleontology and continues to feed the debate about evolution to this day. Mary Anning was only twelve years old when, in 1811, she discovered the first dinosaur skeleton - of an ichthyosaur - while fossil hunting on the cliffs of Lyme Regis, England. Until Mary's incredible discovery, it was widely believed that animals did not become extinct. The child of a poor family, Mary became a fossil hunter, inspiring the tongue-twister, "She Sells Sea Shells by the Seashore." She attracted the attention of fossil collectors and eventually the scientific world. Once news of the fossils reached the halls of academia, it became impossible to ignore the truth. Mary's peculiar finds helped lay the groundwork for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, laid out in his On the Origin of Species. Darwin drew on Mary's fossilized creatures as irrefutable evidence that life in the past was nothing like life in the present.A story worthy of Dickens, The Fossil Hunter chronicles the life of this young girl, with dirt under her fingernails and not a shilling to buy dinner, who became a world-renowned paleontologist. Dickens himself said of Mary: "The carpenter's daughter has won a name for herself, and deserved to win it." Here at last, Shelley Emling returns Mary Anning, of whom Stephen J. Gould remarked, is "probably the most important unsung (or inadequately sung) collecting force in the history of paleontology," to her deserved place in history.

In this beautifully illustrated natural history that links extinct larger feline species with those still in existence, collaborators Alan Turner and Mauricio Anton weave together the evidence of modern feline behavior with that of the fossil record. Turner's clear, insightful prose and Anton's masterly illustrations combine to offer specialists and newcomers alike an accurate and accessible guide to the evolution of cats.

From the outback of Australia to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and the savanna of Madagascar, the award-winning science writer and dinosaur enthusiast John Pickrell embarks on a world tour of new finds, meeting the fossil hunters who work at the frontier of discovery. He reveals the dwarf dinosaurs unearthed by an eccentric Transylvanian baron; an aquatic, crocodile-snouted carnivore bigger than T. rex that once lurked in North African waterways; a Chinese dinosaur with wings like a bat; and a Patagonian sauropod so enormous it weighed more than two commercial jet airliners. Other surprising discoveries hail from Alaska, Siberia, Canada, Burma, and South Africa. Why did dinosaurs grow so huge? How did they spread across the world? Did they all have feathers? What do sauropods have in common with 1950s vacuum cleaners? The stuff of adventure movies and scientific revolutions, Weird Dinosaurs examines the latest breakthroughs and new technologies that are radically transforming our understanding of the distant past.Pickrell opens a vivid portal to a brand-new age of fossil discovery, in which fossil hunters are routinely redefining what we know and how we think about prehistory's most iconic and fascinating creatures.

Nothing fills us with a sense of wonder like fossils. What looks at first like a simple rock is in fact a clue that reveals the staggering diversity of ancient environments, the winding pathways of evolution, and the majesty of a vanished earth. But as much as one might daydream of digging a hole in the backyard and finding a Tyrannosaurus, only a few places contain these buried treasures, and when a scientist comes across a remnant of prehistoric life, great care must be taken. What do budding paleontologists need to know before starting their search?In Fantastic Fossils, Donald R. Prothero offers an accessible, entertaining, and richly illustrated guide to the paleontologist’s journey. He details the best places to look for fossils, the art of how to find them, and how to classify the major types. Prothero provides expert wisdom about typical fossils that an average person can hope to collect and how to hunt fossils responsibly and ethically. He also explores the lessons that both common and rarer discoveries offer about paleontology and its history, as well as what fossils can tell us about past climates and present climate change. Captivating illustrations by the paleoartist Mary Persis Williams bring to life hundreds of important specimens. Offering valuable lessons for armchair enthusiasts and paleontology students alike, Fantastic Fossils is an essential companion for all readers who have ever dreamed of going in search of traces of a lost world.

Nothing fills us with a sense of wonder like fossils. What looks at first like a simple rock is in fact a clue that reveals the staggering diversity of ancient environments, the winding pathways of evolution, and the majesty of a vanished earth. But as much as one might daydream of digging a hole in the backyard and finding a Tyrannosaurus, only a few places contain these buried treasures, and when a scientist comes across a remnant of prehistoric life, great care must be taken. What do budding paleontologists need to know before starting their search?In Fantastic Fossils, Donald R. Prothero offers an accessible, entertaining, and richly illustrated guide to the paleontologist’s journey. He details the best places to look for fossils, the art of how to find them, and how to classify the major types. Prothero provides expert wisdom about typical fossils that an average person can hope to collect and how to hunt fossils responsibly and ethically. He also explores the lessons that both common and rarer discoveries offer about paleontology and its history, as well as what fossils can tell us about past climates and present climate change. Captivating illustrations by the paleoartist Mary Persis Williams bring to life hundreds of important specimens. Offering valuable lessons for armchair enthusiasts and paleontology students alike, Fantastic Fossils is an essential companion for all readers who have ever dreamed of going in search of traces of a lost world.

Ammonites swam in Earth’s ancient seas for nearly 400 million years. These prolific cephalopods diversified into more than 10,000 species before meeting their demise during the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Today, these spiral-shelled invertebrates are among the most abundant fossils in the geologic record, found from snowcapped Himalayan peaks to parched South American arroyos. People around the world have long been drawn to the mystery and beauty of ammonite fossils. These preternaturally preserved creatures have inspired age-old myths and legends, and studying their secrets has spurred crucial scientific discoveries.Jodi Summers—an accomplished journalist and passionate fossil collector—guides readers through the entire arc of ammonite history. She explores the evolution, proliferation, extinction, and fossilization of these captivating cephalopods, situating the story in the progression of deep time. Summers also prospects prime fossil-hunting locations, sharing tips, export legalities, and inside scoops for enthusiasts and collectors in search of notable specimens. She takes us along on her globe-spanning journeys: from the desert to the seashore, up mountains and down canyons, to the backrooms of natural history institutions and the floors of fossil shows.We Dig Ammonites features hundreds of lavish color photographs of rare specimens that showcase the splendor of these magnificent molluscs. This book is an ode to one of the world’s most compelling fossils and an invitation to catch a glimpse of vanished epochs.

How do we know that mammals lived alongside the dinosaurs? What proves that whales evolved from four-legged land animals and are related to hippos? Did hunting by humans or climate change cause the extinction of mammoths? How far back would we need to go to see that horses were once almost identical to tapirs and rhinos?Donald R. Prothero takes readers on a journey through the history of mammals, opening a window onto the worlds of some of the most incredible and peculiar animals that ever lived. He tells the dramatic stories of fossil findings and the paleontologists who unraveled them, showing how scientific ingenuity advanced our knowledge of both ancient and present-day mammals. Alongside iconic animals like mastodons, dire wolves, and sabertoothed cats, Prothero introduces readers to a vast range of little-known prehistoric creatures. Some resemble their living relatives, but with a twist: short-necked giraffes, camels without humps, rhinos without horns, bear-sized beavers. Others are like nothing alive today, such as chalicotheres, which look like a cross between a horse and gorilla but with claws, and uintatheres, which one scientist compared to “giant horned bunnies.” Lively and informative, The Story of the Mammals in 25 Discoveries highlights the wonder, beauty, and strangeness of the creatures that have shared our world.

Trilobites are among the most remarkable lifeforms ever to exist. First emerging 521 million years ago, these organisms—animals with highly developed eyes, sturdy walking legs, and protective outer shells—evolved into more than 25,000 scientifically recognized species. During their 270 million years of inhabiting the ancient seas, trilobites proliferated into an ever-more-fanciful cast of characters, from graceful Cambrian olenellids to robust Ordovician asaphids to spine-covered Devonian phacopids. Their fossil remains, which today can be found on every continent, testify to the astonishing breadth and scope of trilobite heterogeneity.Trilobites A to Z is the ultimate reference guide to these incredible invertebrates. It features reader-friendly, concise yet information-packed introductions to nearly 1,500 trilobite species, each accompanied by a full-color photograph. Grouped according to periods within the Paleozoic era, the book illuminates the similarities and differences among trilobite specimens from around the globe, bringing to life the complexity and beauty of these long-extinct creatures in all their variety. Andy Secher—one of the world’s leading trilobite collectors—also offers practical guidance for readers seeking to identify specimens of their own. Comprehensive and entertainingly written, this essential encyclopedia will inform and delight trilobite enthusiasts and collectors as well as students and scholars of invertebrate paleontology.

A beautiful guide to Earth's wildlife and natural history, including its rocks, minerals, animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms and more!Introducing The Natural History Book - a complete guide to the nature and wildlife of our world and written by a worldwide team of natural history experts. In the 11 years since the book was originally released, thousands of new species have been identified, and new revelations have redrawn the tree of life. Already featuring galleries of more than 5,000 species, The Natural History Book has since been updated to include dynamic discoveries such as the olinguito (the "kitty bear" of the Andean cloud forest), and a new species of deep-sea Bolosoma glass sponge photographed by the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, alongside a reorganization of the groups of living things to reflect the latest scientific understanding. Explore each and every page of this stunning nature book to discover: - A full-colour gallery of over 5,000 species- Over 500 rocks, minerals and fossils featured throughout- Includes glossary of important natural history terms - Specially-commissioned photographs showcase wildlife in close-up detailThis treasure-trove of natural history is accompanied with easy-to-read, accessible information and beautifully-striking imagery, making it a riveting reference guide to pass down for generations to come. The only book to offer a complete visual survey of all kingdoms of life, this nature book for adults is the perfect addition to every family bookshelf, as well as an ideal gift for the nature, animal and plant lover in your life! Gardeners, hikers, and visitors to wildlife park and natural history museums alike would also love this niche nature book, which also doubles up as the perfect coffee table book. Split into 6 core chapters, covering Living Earth, Minerals, Rocks and Fossils, Microscopic Life, Plants, Fungi, and Animals - there truly is something for everyone to explore, love and learn. From granites to grape vines, from microbes to mammals, The Natural History Book is the ultimate celebration of the diversity of the natural world.