Review by Choice Review
Cleal and Thomas describe 42 fossil plant localities selected as part of the Geological Conservation Review, a program undertaken to assess and preserve important geological sites throughout the UK. Far more than a dry list of plant names with a few maps, the book is a well-illustrated, precise synopsis of early plant evolution. The plants described include many whose discovery established the fundamental steps in plant evolution. The descriptive core of the volume is surrounded by an introduction to paleobotany, a glossary of botanical terms, and an extensive bibliography, which combine to produce a useful reference tool for specialist and nonspecialist alike. This book gives away secrets--the kind of information one normally acquires only by attending university and meeting the principal scientists involved. For paleobotanists, the book is required reading. For paleontologists, the description of fossils summarized by outcrop reminds that focusing on the systematics of individual specimens sometimes leaves out important impressions of the whole picture. For students who have some background in paleontology or botany, the book is worth reading. Upper-division undergraduate through professional. P. K. Strother; Boston College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
