A lovely and loving piece of work, both an introduction to the hobby of fossil collecting and a beautifully illustrated field guide, with the author's drawings of some 450 fossil specimens and descriptions of 46 specific sites in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia where they can be found. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A list of fossil locations to visit within the United States, arranged alphabetically by state.

He points out places in New Jersey and nearby where specimens characteristic of each era can be found. He shows how fossil evidence discovered in the state is helping paleontologists reconstruct the ecological interactions and behavior of dinosaurs, and discusses such continuing scientific controversies as the reason for the extinction of the dinosaurs.

With this informative guide, you can explore the mineral-rich regions of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from the beaches to the mountains. It describes the states' best rockhounding sites and covers popular and commercial sites as well as numerous little-known areas. This handy guide also describes how to collect specimens, includes maps and directions to each site, and lists rockhound clubs in each state. Rockhounding Pennsylvania and New Jersey offers a complete introduction to this many-faceted hobby and is an invaluable sourcebook.

The most comprehensive field guide available to the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States--a portable, essential companion for visitors and residents alike--from the go-to reference source for over 18 million nature lovers. This compact volume contains: An easy-to-use field guide for identifying 1,000 of the state's wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mosses, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, butterflies, mammals, and much more; A complete overview of the Mid-Atlantic region's natural history, covering geology, wildlife habitats, ecology, fossils, rocks and minerals, clouds and weather patterns, and the night sky; An extensive sampling of the area's best parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries, with detailed descriptions and visitor information for 50 sites and notes on dozens of others. The guide is packed with visual information -- the 1,500 full-color images include more than 1,300 photographs, 18 maps, and 16 night-sky charts, as well as more than 100 drawings explaining everything from geological processes to the basic features of different plants and animals. For everyone who lives or spends time in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or Washington, D.C., there can be no finer guide to the area's natural surroundings than the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States.

Buy this book at your own risk. It will destroy your illusions, but may haunt you in your dreams. It will tell you why fossil hunting is worth your time, but why you never get rich with it. It will tell you how to swing your hammer and why you have to keep an open ear when collecting close to a quarry wall. It will tell you how to collect with your children and why it is a bad idea to dig for dinosaurs in Alberta. You will learn that your old dividers from school are excellent preparation tools and that putting a name on a fossil is the least important thing you have to worry about. Stay away if you mind occasional mature language and political incorrectness. Get it when you want a short guide to fossil collecting and you have really absolutely no idea how to start with it.