Trilobites, of all fossils, fascinate me, even still. They are very ancient, and there were a lot of them. ( )

Trilobite! (with the exclamation mark) is Richard Fortey's passionate account of trilobites - their physiology, their crystal eyes, legs, development, evolution and history. This book grew out of the author's love of trilobites. His stated aim is to invest the trilobites with all the glamour of the dinosaur and to see the world through the eyes of a trilobites.

This enthusiastic account of trilobites is written in a colourful narrative style that mixes science with personal anecdotes and historical stories. The chapter on trilobite eyes was especially fascinating. There are a few technical terms to be learned, but nothing excessive that would be difficult for the lay reader. The book also includes numerous black/white photographs and diagrams.

Trilobites are interesting creatures, but I wanted more focus on the trilobites and fewer anecdotes. I would also have like more information on what may have caused their extinction. However, this book is still fascinating and a joy to read. ( )

Wonderful and entertaining book about one of the humblest but most successful creatures in the long history. Far from just being simple bugs who crawled in the mud of long-gone oceans, trilobites dominated the seas of the planet for more than 200 million years and evolved an astonishing number of forms adapted to every type of sea habitat. Although they have become of the most popular fossils, mainly because of their astonishing proliferation all over the planet, few people know much about the. Simon Fortey rectifies this in a book that is a poem to his deep love affair with this modest creature. He waxes lyrical as he describes how trilobites first came to the attention of science, how their fragile shells were teased out of rock, the details of their lives pieced together, and how they continue to reveal new secrets to this day. More science books should be written like this, it is truly captivating stuff. I must admit, although I have always been fascinated by trilobites, I have never taken the time to really get to know their story, thanks to Fortey I have now rectified this and intend to seek out other books. Truly wonderful stuff. ( )

If you’ve ever tried to read a science book, especially one written by a respected expert in a given field, then you know that the books can be a bit…dry. All that material, all of those facts, all of those tables and charts and graphs can be overwhelming to a general reader. But every once in a while, a scientist comes along who is so enthusiastic, so passionate, so giddy in love with his subject that you get swept away in the ensuing rush.

Trilobites are some of the earliest creatures in existence captured in fossil form, and Richard Fortey is gaga over them. This book is ostensibly a study of the trilobite fossil record and what that changing record can tell us about the prehistoric world. But what it really is is Fortey’s love letter to the trilobite. He marvels over the fossils; he waxes rhapsodic about the rocks and shales the fossils can be found in; he even dotes on the other scientists, past and present, who have studied trilobites.

And you know what? It works. I found myself totally caught up in Fortey’s world o’ trilobites. I shared his pride in identifying new trilobites. I chuckled as he rolled his eyes and poked fun at some of his huffier scientific brethren. And I even began to understand and share his awe at how much can be learned from these ancient creatures.

Richard Fortey is proof positive that anything can be interesting with the right teacher.
( )

Trilobites were shelled animals that lived in the oceans over five hundred million years ago. As bewilderingly diverse then as the beetle is today, they survived in the arctic or the tropics, were spiky or smooth, were large as lobsters or small as fleas. And because they flourished for three hundred million years, they can be used to glimpse a less evolved world of ancient continents and vanished oceans. Erudite and entertaining, this book is a uniquely exuberant homage to a fabulously singular species. ( )