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Rating: 
Summary: A "must read" for palaeontology students!
Review: Rudwick chose the title "The Meaning of Fossils: Episodes in the History of Palaeontology" for his book, but I think that a subtitle more descriptive of the contents would be something like "Essays on the History of Palaeontology." A subtle difference, perhaps, but meaningful, since in many respects this book is about the people behind the fossils as much as it is about fossils themselves. The book includes the following contents: 1) Fossil objects -- this section presents ideas about what people thought fossils were before they realized they were related in any way to once-living things. It also includes early work on fossils, their descriptions, the light bulb going on about where fossils really come from, and related topics. 2) Natural antiquities -- this section presents an example describing how we came to the realization that fossils really are parts and pieces of things that were one alive -- all from study of fossil and living sharks' teeth. This section also describes alternative explanations (from antiquity) that explain where fossils came from...interesting stuff. 3) Life's revolutions -- this section describes Cuvier's work and evidence he presented that showed that there is, in fact, a process of extinction that operates on earth. This thought, that a kind of living thing (a species), that was once alive are all now dead was a revolutionary thought! This section also introduces the notion of geologic time...deep time, of a length not realized or considered before...another revolution in thought. 4) Uniformity and progress -- this section includes a description of Lyell's new view of geology and geologic processes, that an ongoing gradual process of small magnitude can, over long periods of time produce all observable geological features. That idea fed into the new ideas being applied to fossils, the appearance and disappearance of fossil species. 5) Life's ancestry -- this section discusses the importance of actually looking and seeing for one's self, as Heinrich-Georg Bronn's work did by "Being taught by nature (Natura doceri)." There is also a discussion of what "species" means, and how that plays into the whole idea of fossil and extinct things as described by the evolutionary theories of Wallace and Darwin. This is a good book with good examples. It provides an excellent historical perspective on the development of thinking relative to palaeontology. This book should be read by every student of palaeontology, and by most biology students as well! Great stuff! 5 stars all the way (though the title could use a little work). Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College, IN
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