--- product_id: 127946044 title: "Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution" price: "S$3" currency: SGD in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sg/products/127946044-trilobite-eyewitness-to-evolution store_origin: SG region: Singapore --- # Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution **Price:** S$3 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution - **How much does it cost?** S$3 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sg](https://www.desertcart.sg/products/127946044-trilobite-eyewitness-to-evolution) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description With Trilobite , Richard Fortey, paleontologist and author of the acclaimed Life, offers a marvelously written, smart and compelling, accessible and witty scientific narrative of the most ubiquitous of fossil creatures. 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. Review: Beetles of the Paleozoic. - As this is my first book written by Richard Fortey I didn't quite know what to expect from this British paleontologist. Part science, part history and autobiography, Trilobite is written with a poetic slant that can take the reader off on some of the author's personal musings on a variety of subjects that are seemingly unrelated to trilobites but, sooner or later, he reveals the connection. Fortey's first job as a professional paleontologist was at a museum, a dream come true, "Getting paid for what I loved doing!". I found the chapter on museums and the process of naming a new species to be to be very interesting, but some readers might not agree with me on that. The opening chapter takes place on the North Cornwall Coast of South West England near the town of Boscastle and starts with the author retracing the steps of a fictional character, from a novel that I was not familiar with, who encounters a fossil trilobite on a storm-tossed cliff overlooking the Atlantic. In this round about way he brings you to the heart of his book: trilobites. And this book is indeed about trilobites and everything you ever wanted to know about them. In the late 17th century we find the earliest reference to trilobites when a "gentleman fossil-collector" wrote of finding some fossil "flat fish" that turned out to be trilobites. In exploring the history of trilobite research the author introduces you to some early workers like Charles D Walcott (about 1910) and Harry B Whittington (late 1960's) of Burgess Shale fame (see S Gould's 1989 Wonderful Life). Walcott discovered appendages (legs) in a fossil trilobite (1876). In 1893 William D Matthew was the first to spot fossilized antennae, plated with Iron Pyrite, confirmed by a Professor Charles E Beecher. All of these early workers were not only finding fossils, they were also doing research on trilobite anatomy, evolution and number of species. The research continues to this day. Traditionally, trilobites were considered, by some, to be losers in their evolutionary race for success but they were around for over 300my, had thousands of species and each were finely tuned to their environment--sounds like success to me. What caused their extinction is open for debate but changes in their habitat and environmental conditions that they were unable to keep up with is a good bet, that's the fate of all species and maybe us humans as well. I found Fortey's writing style to be ornate and, at times, quite technical, but not so technical that it overwhelms the layperson reader. The chapter on trilobite eyes was outstanding, some had them mounted on long stalks others were large and bulbous and some species were even blind. I had no idea that trilobites were so diverse, evolving to fill a wide range of habitats from shallow seas to the abyssal deep with numbers beyond counting. Some sported an assortment of spines or bumps that must have served some sort of function. Fortey covers it all in fine detail mixed with some speculation. While not for everyone, this book is right on track for anyone interested in paleontology, evolution and nature in general. I had no technical or formatting problems with this Kindle edition and, as far as I could tell, all of the illustrations and plates are included. LastRanger Review: Another Winner from Richard Fortey - This is a wonderful book! Trilobite! Eyewitness to Evolution is a skillfully crafted narrative that displays Fortey's impeccable scientific credentials and his engaging and highly entertaining style of writing. Readers unfamiliar with these remarkable creatures and their 300 million year history will benefit from well organized chapters that explain the physiology, life habits, evolutionary patterns and geological time line with insight and clarity. Those readers with a better understanding of the class Trilobita, will enjoy the personal observations and anecdotes of a superb writer, who just happens to be a leading authority on the subject. Fortey even tackles the role of ombudsman in his attempt to soften the contentious battles between Simon Conway-Morris and Stephen J. Gould over those controversial early arthropods and other creatures of arguable affinity. I applaud his restraint and gentle hand in dealing with the emotional fervor of his contemporaries. If I have any criticism of this book, it would be to step on to the soapbox and point out that Fortey details the moment when he chipped out his first trilobite at age fourteen as an epiphany that determined his lifes work. He discusses Walcott and other self taught geologists and paleontologists who started as eager young fossil hunters. Sadly, in several places throughout the text, Fortey explains that these sites are now closed to collecting. Typically, these closures are to protect the area from the hammers of interested collectors (with special emphasis on those who might profit from the sale of their collections) in the misguided notion that invertebrate fossils are national treasures that must be protected for all through restrictions and the intervention of government agencies. I subscribe to the belief that a fossil left uncollected is a fossil that is lost. If common sense prevails, the search for specimens- even for profit- can benefit us all. Instead, we get over zealous regulation and permanent site closures. In the final pages of his book, Fortey marvels at the recently discovered trident Comura trilobite. (now Walliserops trifurcautus) I only wish he'd made it clear that this unique fossil discovery resulted from the activities of Moroccans digging the Devonian strata for a modest profit and that future fossil wonders, as well as future paleontologists, are much more likely to occur when people are allowed to freely explore the rocks, as Fortey was allowed to do in his youth. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,092,580 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #54 in Biological Science of Fossils #111 in Biology of Fossils #133 in Paleontology (Books) | ## Images ![Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CHP8E1dTL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beetles of the Paleozoic. *by L***R on January 10, 2014* As this is my first book written by Richard Fortey I didn't quite know what to expect from this British paleontologist. Part science, part history and autobiography, Trilobite is written with a poetic slant that can take the reader off on some of the author's personal musings on a variety of subjects that are seemingly unrelated to trilobites but, sooner or later, he reveals the connection. Fortey's first job as a professional paleontologist was at a museum, a dream come true, "Getting paid for what I loved doing!". I found the chapter on museums and the process of naming a new species to be to be very interesting, but some readers might not agree with me on that. The opening chapter takes place on the North Cornwall Coast of South West England near the town of Boscastle and starts with the author retracing the steps of a fictional character, from a novel that I was not familiar with, who encounters a fossil trilobite on a storm-tossed cliff overlooking the Atlantic. In this round about way he brings you to the heart of his book: trilobites. And this book is indeed about trilobites and everything you ever wanted to know about them. In the late 17th century we find the earliest reference to trilobites when a "gentleman fossil-collector" wrote of finding some fossil "flat fish" that turned out to be trilobites. In exploring the history of trilobite research the author introduces you to some early workers like Charles D Walcott (about 1910) and Harry B Whittington (late 1960's) of Burgess Shale fame (see S Gould's 1989 Wonderful Life). Walcott discovered appendages (legs) in a fossil trilobite (1876). In 1893 William D Matthew was the first to spot fossilized antennae, plated with Iron Pyrite, confirmed by a Professor Charles E Beecher. All of these early workers were not only finding fossils, they were also doing research on trilobite anatomy, evolution and number of species. The research continues to this day. Traditionally, trilobites were considered, by some, to be losers in their evolutionary race for success but they were around for over 300my, had thousands of species and each were finely tuned to their environment--sounds like success to me. What caused their extinction is open for debate but changes in their habitat and environmental conditions that they were unable to keep up with is a good bet, that's the fate of all species and maybe us humans as well. I found Fortey's writing style to be ornate and, at times, quite technical, but not so technical that it overwhelms the layperson reader. The chapter on trilobite eyes was outstanding, some had them mounted on long stalks others were large and bulbous and some species were even blind. I had no idea that trilobites were so diverse, evolving to fill a wide range of habitats from shallow seas to the abyssal deep with numbers beyond counting. Some sported an assortment of spines or bumps that must have served some sort of function. Fortey covers it all in fine detail mixed with some speculation. While not for everyone, this book is right on track for anyone interested in paleontology, evolution and nature in general. I had no technical or formatting problems with this Kindle edition and, as far as I could tell, all of the illustrations and plates are included. LastRanger ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another Winner from Richard Fortey *by S***Y on November 12, 2000* This is a wonderful book! Trilobite! Eyewitness to Evolution is a skillfully crafted narrative that displays Fortey's impeccable scientific credentials and his engaging and highly entertaining style of writing. Readers unfamiliar with these remarkable creatures and their 300 million year history will benefit from well organized chapters that explain the physiology, life habits, evolutionary patterns and geological time line with insight and clarity. Those readers with a better understanding of the class Trilobita, will enjoy the personal observations and anecdotes of a superb writer, who just happens to be a leading authority on the subject. Fortey even tackles the role of ombudsman in his attempt to soften the contentious battles between Simon Conway-Morris and Stephen J. Gould over those controversial early arthropods and other creatures of arguable affinity. I applaud his restraint and gentle hand in dealing with the emotional fervor of his contemporaries. If I have any criticism of this book, it would be to step on to the soapbox and point out that Fortey details the moment when he chipped out his first trilobite at age fourteen as an epiphany that determined his lifes work. He discusses Walcott and other self taught geologists and paleontologists who started as eager young fossil hunters. Sadly, in several places throughout the text, Fortey explains that these sites are now closed to collecting. Typically, these closures are to protect the area from the hammers of interested collectors (with special emphasis on those who might profit from the sale of their collections) in the misguided notion that invertebrate fossils are national treasures that must be protected for all through restrictions and the intervention of government agencies. I subscribe to the belief that a fossil left uncollected is a fossil that is lost. If common sense prevails, the search for specimens- even for profit- can benefit us all. Instead, we get over zealous regulation and permanent site closures. In the final pages of his book, Fortey marvels at the recently discovered trident Comura trilobite. (now Walliserops trifurcautus) I only wish he'd made it clear that this unique fossil discovery resulted from the activities of Moroccans digging the Devonian strata for a modest profit and that future fossil wonders, as well as future paleontologists, are much more likely to occur when people are allowed to freely explore the rocks, as Fortey was allowed to do in his youth. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best popular nature book EVER *by S***Y on May 15, 2017* I am going to have trouble adequately describing this book, which I have read many times. I am not a scientist, I am an attorney, but for recreation I have read many popular science books. (My complete inability to understand mathematics shut me out of the sciences.) Of all the popular science books I have read, and there are perhaps 100, this is the best, by which I mean, the most interesting and enjoyable for someone with no formal background in the sciences. (I was even motivated by this book to do a little amateur poking around in the California desert and I scored my own (very unimpressive, but for real!) trilobite fossil! These little beings from long ago were exceedingly common, so their fossils are not in any sense rare if you know where to look.) Professor Fortey, as other reviewers have observed, does not bore the novice by leading the reader through dry charts and learned explanations. The book sparkles with anecdotes, personal diversions, and fascinating insights into these ancient life forms. He really brings them alive! As the title tells us, trilobites were among the first life forms with complex eyes, a particularly interesting form of eyes utilizing mineral crystals. This type of eye died with the trilobites, so we have no modern examples. Fortey takes us through the entire story in his charming way, from the genetic basis of "eye" all the way through to dedicated people taking photographs through fossil trilobite eyes in an effort to understand how the world looked to a trilobite. Then there are legs, and the work that was done to figure out first, that they HAD legs, and second, what these difficult to fossilize legs looked like. It reads like a little detective novel. The whole book sparkles with little gems of this kind. Obviously this book is not for everyone, but if this kind of thing appeals to you, buy this book and read it, you are in for a treat! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sg/products/127946044-trilobite-eyewitness-to-evolution](https://www.desertcart.sg/products/127946044-trilobite-eyewitness-to-evolution) --- *Product available on Desertcart Singapore* *Store origin: SG* *Last updated: 2026-05-27*