Earth Before the Dinosaurs

French paleontologist Steyer (Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris), with the help of self-described paleoartist Bénéteau (L'empreinte des géants), writes of a time before dinosaurs walked the earth over 200 million years ago. The first four-footed vertebrates began to appear around 370 million years ago and faded from the record only as dinosaurs started to arrive at the 200-million-year mark. Moving from the sea to land, a parade of strange and unusual animals left fossil remains behind for paleontologists to discover and decipher as they strive to document the evolutionary history of life. As Steyer describes this fossil record, he demonstrates how certain previously accepted ideas about species evolution have proven false with these findings. The book's 154 color and 63 black-and-white illustrations are riveting and can furnish hours of careful study and rewarding perusal.