A comprehensive introduction to all aspects of palaeontology. It starts with a discussion of the basic principles of the subject and goes on to describe the principal features of all the main fossil groups including plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, trace fossils and microfossils. Written by two leading palaentologists, the text includes many modern ideas resulting from an improved understanding of evolution and the fossil record, palaeobiology and palaeoecology. The final chapter summarises the history of life, introducing large-scale evolution and extinctions.