The Fossil Hunter is a biography of Mary Anning, an English fossil collector and paleontologist who made important discoveries in the Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs along the English Channel in the early 19th century. The book chronicles Anning’s life from her birth in 1799 to her death in 1847, and explores the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated field.
Anning’s discoveries included the first complete ichthyosaur skeleton, which she found at the age of 12, as well as several other important fossils that helped to shape our understanding of prehistoric life. Despite her contributions to science, Anning struggled financially throughout her life and was largely unrecognized by the scientific community during her lifetime.
The book also delves into the social and political context of Anning’s time, including the impact of religion on scientific inquiry and the role of women in society. It highlights Anning’s perseverance and determination in the face of adversity, and celebrates her legacy as a pioneering scientist.
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The Fossil Hunter
- Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World
- Narrated by: Rachael Beresford
Mary Anning was only 12 years old when, in 1811, she discovered the first dinosaur skeleton – that of an ichthyosaur – while hunting for fossils on the cliffs of Lyme Regis, England. Until Mary’s amazing discovery, it was believed that animals did not go extinct. The child of a poor family, Mary became a fossil hunter, inspiring the slang phrase “she sells seashells by the sea”. She attracted the attention of fossil collectors and, ultimately, the scientific community. Once news of the fossils reaches the halls of academia, the truth cannot be ignored. Mary’s strange discovery helped lay the groundwork for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, presented in his On the Origin of Species. Darwin took the fossil creatures of Mary as irrefutable proof that life in the past was not the same as life today.
A story worthy of Dickens, The Fossil Hunter chronicles the life of this young girl who became a world-renowned paleontologist. Dickens himself said of Mary, “The carpenter’s daughter has earned fame for herself and deserves it.”
Here, at last, Shelley Emling brings back Mary Anning – whom Stephen J. Gould comments on “perhaps the most important silent (or incompletely sung) gathering force in paleontological history.” physics” – to her rightful place in history.
I’m glad to be able to read a thorough account of her life. The author does not gloss over her difficulties and includes many details about her whole life. A good listen !! Thank you.
