Challenging the views of scientists including Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins, this confrontational book takes us on a journey back in time through the Burgess Shale - the astonishing collection of pre-Cambrian creatures so different from everything now living that many rank as separate trunks of life's tree. In an entertaining and readable style, Morris presents a vivid picture of a critical period in the history of life which saw the diversification of all major animal groups.
INTRODUCTION; 1. SETTING THE SCENE; 2. THE DISCOVERY OF THE BURGESS SHALE; 3. JOURNEY TO THE BURGESS SHALE; 4. THE SEARCH FOR NEW BURGESS SHALES; 5. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BURGESS SHALE; 6. THE ORIGIN OF PHYLA; 7. OTHER WORLDS; 8. THE LAST WORD; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; APPENDIX 1: FURTHER READING; APPENDIX 2: EXHIBITIONS; APPENDIX 3: LOCALITIES; GLOSSARY; INDEX
'tells a great story and manages to be informative at all levels. New Scientist spiritually uplifting THES The centerpiece of The Crucible of Creation is a descripion, authoritative and readable, of the animals themselves New York Times Book Review