Anyone interested in collecting fossils or in learning more about the previous life of these animals and plants will find a wealth of information in this lavishly illustrated guide. Here Helmut Mayr brings together over five hundred color photographs with concise and lively descriptions of both common and unusual fossils. Intended to aid amateurs in specimen identification and classification, this book offers an encyclopedic breadth of coverage that many specialists too will find useful. In his introduction Mayr discusses the most important genera of animals and plants, the origins of fossils and the forms of their preservation, tips on collecting and on recovery and storing, technical terminology, and insights into scientific research. The main section contains illustrations and descriptions of the fossils themselves, with an emphasis on ammonites, but also including corals, mollusks, snails, echinoderms and brachiopods, vertebrates, and plants. Each illustrated example is accompanied by information on distinguishing marks, geographical distribution, period of existence, and the habits and ecology of the important representatives of the individual genera.