Bringing Fossils to Life - 3rd Edition by Donald R Prothero

Book Synopsis

One of the leading textbooks in its field, Bringing Fossils to Life applies paleobiological principles to the fossil record while detailing the evolutionary history of major plant and animal phyla. It incorporates current research from biology, ecology, and population genetics, bridging the gap between purely theoretical paleobiological textbooks and those that describe only invertebrate paleobiology and that emphasize cataloguing live organisms instead of dead objects. For this third edition Donald R. Prothero has revised the art and research throughout, expanding the coverage of invertebrates and adding a discussion of new methodologies and a chapter on the origin and early evolution of life.

Review Quotes

Highly recommended.-- "Choice"

Prothero's textbook...is very welcome as it gives not only for students but for every geologist a nice and up-to-date overview of the wide field of paleobiology... An excellent, well written and nicely illustrated textbook.-- "Priscum"

Substantive, well illustrated, and engaging. [Bringing Fossils to Life] serves to introduce a field that illuminates not only our past but also important aspects of our future.--Catherine Badgley "Quarterly Review of Biology"

This well-written, well-illustrated book comprehensively covers the science of paleontology, running the gamut from the history of different aspects of the field to technical discoveries and taxonomic information. It is perfectly aimed at a student audience and belongs in the libraries of all professional (and amateur) paleontologists.--Bruce S. Lieberman, University of Kansas Paleontological Institute

About the Author

Donald R. Prothero is a Research Associate in Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He has taught college geology and paleontology for 40 years at institutions such as Columbia University, Vassar College, Knox College, and Pierce College, and currently at Cal Poly Pomona. For 27 years, he was Professor of Geology at Occidental College in Los Angeles and Lecturer in Geobiology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He earned his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in geological sciences from Columbia University. He is the author of over 300 scientific papers published in leading journals and over 30 titles in geology, paleontology and evolutionary biology.