Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States: With Localities, Collecting Tips, and Illustrations of More than 450 Fossil Specimens

by Jasper Burns

"A fossil," writes Jasper Burns, "is first of all a thing of remarkable beauty. The sense of awe and exhilaration so many of us feel in the presence of the Ocean, or the Pyramids, or the Great Wall of China comes to me when I find a broken shell that's a million years oldNothing in nature can seem more mute than the stone impression of an organism whose kind disappeared half a billion years ago-yet almost nothing can be more eloquent if we have the ears to hear."

For most of his life Jasper Burns has been "hearing" the message of fossils. Drawn from this extensive experience, this book is both an introduction to the hobby of fossil collecting and a unique field guide to sites in the Mid-Atlantic region. The book is beautifully illustrated with the author's drawings of more than 450 fossil specimens and the sites where they can be found.

In all, Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States describes forty-six specific sites in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Each description includes:

• Precise directions to the site and a description of the most productive areas
• The name and geologic period of the rock formations containing fossils
• What to look for and how to find it
• Special hazards or problems
• A complete list of fossils identified at the site
• Detailed illustrations of the major specimens

Genres: Geology, Palaeontology, Science, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ain't literature, but it is just the book I've been looking for, (although it cost a "ridiculous" $5 at our massive used book store). Have been reading about fossils lately (in particular, the delightful If You Are a Hunter of Fossils) and remembering my own fossil-hunting days in Upstate New York nearly a half century ago, but had no idea where to go near my current home in Northern Virginia. Well…now I do! Plenty of sites apparently in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania; so will have to start looking so that I can take my new grandson with me in a couple of years.

[Phoebe S.]

not flawless, but still unsurpassed as a guide for & by amateurs in the region after 32 years...

... and that's why i wanna have jasper burns' babies

[Alex Tsiatsos · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times it has a pulpy, amateurish feel to it, and some of the underlying paleontology discussion is dated, but it does exactly what it sets out to do and the drawings are wonderful.