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Fossils of Florissant Hardcover – March 17, 2003

by Herbert W. Meyer (Author)

4.7 22 ratings

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The most diverse fossil bed in the United States provides a unique picture of what life was like 34 million years ago. In the rocks of Florissant, Colorado, lying in the shadow of Pike's Peak, is the evidence of a long-lost world. Encased by the ash of volcanoes that erupted tens of millions of years ago, animals such as insects, fish, and mammals were fossilized in the same deposits as flowers, trees, and the delicate leaves of plants. This amazing collection of animals and plants from the same place at the same time providse a rare, uniquely comprehensive glimpse of life in the past.

Through more than 200 color photographs and vivid descriptions of the fossils, Herbert Meyer brings the fossils of Florissant, Colorado to life, not only providing background on the plants and animals, but also exploring the warm environment in which they lived. The site was once a treasure trove for paleontologists who acquired the fossils for museums around the world; it is now protected as Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Meyer’s book reveals the beauty of both the site and its delicate fossils, and offers a compelling story of life long ago.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Smithsonian Books
Publication date

March 17, 2003
Dimensions

7.4 x 0.9 x 10.2 inches
ISBN-10

1588341070
ISBN-13

978-1588341075
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Seth Sorensen
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Lance Grande
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Wendell Ricketts
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About the Author

Herbert W. Meyer is a paleontologist with the U.S. National Park Service and has devoted himself to studying the fossil beds of Florissant. He lives in Colorado.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Smithsonian Books; First Edition (March 17, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1588341070
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1588341075
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.07 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 0.9 x 10.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,171,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #304 in Biology of Fossils
- #804 in Geology (Books)
- #21,006 in U.S. State & Local History

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4.7 22 ratings

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4.7 out of 5

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Peter Nonacs

Excellent book on fossils

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2021

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Fantastic pictures and explanations of an ancient Colorado ecosystem. Used in in designing a lab on evolutionary biology and what fossils can tell us about the history of life.

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Richard Lutin

Awesome with lots of photos

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2021

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Awesome with lots of photos

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2021

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Before I go to visit in person.

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Cynthia L. Morehead

Fossils of Florissant

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2007

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A great guide for the collector who wants to identify the different fossils in the slabes he has collected.

3 people found this helpful

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Andy Weinzapfel

Florissant fossils: A new glimpse into a lost world

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2003

This is a delightful book, well written and profusely illustrated, about one of the world's premier fossil insect and plant localities. It is written for the serious paleontologist, as well as the casual inquisitive reader interested in the natural world.
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is remarkable because it constitutes a highly detailed snapshot of life at a time when the earth was entering a period of major climate change. The setting is a 34 million year-old forest, along a lake teeming with exceptional diversity, in the shadow of an erupting volcano. Due to the outstanding quality of preservation, many unique fossil plants, birds, butterflies, spiders, bees, and fish from this site appear to have met their demise only yesterday.
During the last 100 years, a large number of prized fossils from Florissant have been scattered to museums all over the world. The author has traveled extensively to find and catalog these specimens, and assemble a collection of color photographs printed in exquisite detail. He meticulously reconstructs the ancient ecosystem from the fossil record, at times much like a detective unravels clues from a good murder mystery. Interesting twists abound. For example, why is the only fossil of the tsetse fly-the blood-sucking, disease-carrying scourge of equatorial Africa today-- found at this location high in the Rockies?
When it comes to fossils, big is not necessarily better. Dinosaur books have grabbed the imagination of many in the last few years, but The Fossils of Florissant, by Herbert Meyer, is a newcomer that deserves to be at the top of the heap.

17 people found this helpful

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Mr. D. V. Belfield

like a snap shot from deep time (thirty million years)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2010

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Well - look, if no one else wants to say anything, let me say that this book is a peach.
The photos are often superb and the text cracks along with what is/was the state of play at publication.

I just loved the detail in the insect fossils, their wings, their antennae, their groovy lil' legs. And the diversity - earwigs, hornets, craneflies, butterflies, hovverflies, even a big old Tse-Tse fly (now there was a biter to reckon with); all so movingly rendered in hard stone like photos from some lost album 34 million years old.

And let's not overlook the plant fossils. Carya (hickory) leaves, mulberry, elm, hop, poplar and hawthorn are all completely delightful to peruse - again remembering just how old they are - given their 'fresh' state of preservation.

Go on... Treat yerself. You deserve it, 'course you do. If you've got this far, then grab that cold beer, put yer feet up and get yer head inside an intelligent book regaling some of this Earth's treasures. I guarantee it'll take you to a happier world than today's, less tired, more cheerful, a world steeped in an exuberant variety, swirling with wonder and mystery.

Eighteen Quid... ? I should bleedin' coco !

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