The 6 Best fossil Field Guides (2023 reviews)

Compared with other guide in this category, the ida thompson fossil field guide has a design with broader appeal. The one on fossils is just as good and also very educational. It provides lists of geological survey offices and major fossil collections, a geological time chart, and a guide to collecting and preserving fossils. It includes information on size, geological period, geographical distribution, and ecology of the animal or plant before it is fossilized. The guide helps you find the most common and to surmise what you have found by those examples.

This guide has the standard NAS water repellant jacket and quick abridgment icons. This is a great reference for any fossil collector, however, if you are more interested in detailed information and photographs about fossils of plants, reptiles, fish, and mammals this book will disapoint with its lack of information. This is a handy size and well-made.

Why We Like This:

Perfect for any fossil collector's library
Helps explain the proper way to store and sort fossils
Good investment for long term

Best For Mountain Climbers: National Audubon Society fossil Field Guide

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National Audubon Society line of guide come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. This is an absolute must for anyone just starting out collecting rocks and minerals. It works great if you know basic mineralogy, crystallography, etc. It is one of the classic field guides for rocks and minerals. These are shown as "wild" uncut rocks, not cabs, so it's more useful as a field guide when you are rock hounding.

Having been through at least ten other titles, this one offers the most in depth, yet easy to understand information. The colorful images and descriptions make it easy for an amateur to learn basic mineralogy, crystallography, etc. The book is stiff and the pages are hard to pull apart and look at.

Why We Like This:

Well structured and easy to use
Indispensible for the collector of precious and semi-precious stones
, an excellent fieldguide for identifying rocks and minerals
Recommended to people anywhere who need a solid rock and mineral guide

Best college level Book: Gregory s Paul fossil Field Guide

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The gregory s paul fossil field guide should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. If you want to complete your dinosaur book collection with a serious and beautiful tome, then this is the book for you. It covers nearly 750 dinosaur species, and it covers the history, prehistory, and biology of the dinosaurs, like the dinosaur renisanse and dinosaur anatomy. It applies an implicit taxonomy by the convention of positioning more derived groups to the right (as they appear later in time) of more basal, ancestral groups. Even if you are interested in dinosaurs in passing, this book is worth it.

For anyone into dinosaurs, this is a perfect guide to telling a T. rex from a Titanosaur to a Carnotaurus from a Chasmosaurus. It is fully illustrated and dinosaur fans will definitely learn some cool new things they never knew about.

Why We Like This:

An excellent volume for anyone eager to learn about dinosaurs in depth
Practically comprehensive as per the time of its publication
A perfect addition for any personal library

Best Book: Prothero fossil Field Guide

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The prothero fossil field guide should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. There is a group of mammals called the Afrotheria, which have a common genetic signature, but do not resemble each other in any significant way. It is easy to find stuff on prehistoric mammals. This is an illustrated encyclopedia of individual dinosaur species, organized by phylogeny, plus some introductory material. It includes a discussion of mammalian diversification, extinction, and an excellent index.

It is also highly readable, but not dumbed down in any way, which is nice.

The format of the book is large enough to let the artistry of the production emerge, but it is not a big too heavy floppy monster like some coffee table books are.

Why We Like This:

Accurate, up-to-date information on a wide range of mammals
Lot of satisfied buyers

Best Guide: Finsley fossil Field Guide

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Compared with other guide in this category, the finsley fossil field guide has a convenient design. It is great to find this fossil book. The pictures cover a very broad range of texas fossils, and though not always in color, are very helpful in identification. This book is easy to use, informative and quite helpful to the texas fossil hunter.

Why We Like This:

Great for fossil hunting in texas
Good investment for long term

Best For young fossil enthusiasts: Dr W Scott persons IV fossil Field Guide

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If you often find yourself scrambling for appropriate and satisfactory guide, dr w scott persons iv fossil field guide is your solution.

Why We Like This:

Lot of satisfied buyers
Delivers what they promise