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Book

Fossil hunter : how Mary Anning changed the science of prehistoric life

Call Number

  • J 921 ANNING (CEN, EAS)

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Publication Information

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2022]

Physical Description

122 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), color maps ; 24 cm

Summary

"A fascinating, highly visual biography of Mary Anning, the Victorian fossil hunter who changed scientific thinking about prehistoric life and would become one of the most celebrated paleontologists of all time. Mary Anning grew up on the south coast of England in a region rich in fossils. As teenagers, she and her brother Joseph discovered England's first complete ichthyosaur. Poor and uneducated, Anning would become one of the most celebrated paleontologists ever, though in her time she supported herself selling by fossils and received little formal recognition. Her findings helped shape scientific thinking about extinction and prehistoric life long before Darwin published his famous work on evolution. With engaging text, photographs, and stunning paleoart, Fossil Hunter introduces this self-taught scientist, now recognized as one of the greatest fossilists the world has ever known. "--

They call one of her fossil finds a snakestone. And another a crocodile. But England has no native crocodiles, so how can the fossilized bones of one be emebedded in its sea cliffs? And those coiled snakestones? THey have no heads or vertebrae, just a series of beautiful inner chambers. So how can they be the remains of snakes? Decades before Darwin famously publishes his theories of evolution, Mary Anning digs, hammers, and hauls...exposing fossils that have been hidden in the rocks for millions of years. She studies fossil anatomy and expertly prepares her specimens for sale. Mary achieves two milestones that most women of her time haven't heard of--independence and a career. Her findings stir debate among male scholars: Did mysterious, frightening animals once swim in a sea that covered much of England? If they did, what happened to them? How ancient is our earth? With stunning paleoart, this fascinating and beautifully crafted biography tells the story of one of the greats fossilists the world has known: the celebrated paleontologist Mary Anning. --

Contents

  • Crocodile or sea monster?
  • Learning on the beach
  • Not a lady
  • Geological mysteries
  • A second sea monster
  • A new home
  • More important fossils
  • From excitement to heartache
  • Radical ideas
  • Legacy.

Subjects