Darwin s Fossils: The Collection That Shaped the Theory of Evolution by Adrian Lister Online

While Darwin s research on Galápagos finches is celebrated, his work on fossils is less well known. Yet he was the first to collect the remains of giant extinct South American mammals; he worked out how coral reefs and atolls formed; he excavated and explained marine fossils high in the Andes; and he discovered a fossil forest that now bears his name. All of this research was fundamental in leading Darwin to develop his revolutionary theory of evolution.

This richly illustrated book brings Darwin s fossils, many of which survive in museums and institutions around the world, together for the first time. Including new photography of many of the fossils–which in recent years have enjoyed a surge of scientific interest–as well as superb line drawings produced in the nineteenth century and newly commissioned artists reconstructions of the extinct animals as they are understood today, Darwin s Fossils reveals how Darwin s discoveries played a crucial role in the development of his groundbreaking ideas.