Best Fossil Identification Guides: 4 Books for Identifying and Collecting Fossils

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Sesera editorial account organizes laptop, mini PC, smartphone, and gadget buying guides so readers can check the important points before buying.

Choosing a fossil identification guide can be tricky when you want one that suits your interests and the places you plan to explore.

The guides featured here cover fossil identification, collecting, and site information in different ways.

This time, we’ll introduce four books, from a broad fossil reference to a regional collecting-site guide.

Quick-reference table of recommended products

Product name	Guide focus	Binding	Page count
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fossils: North America	Identifies North American corals, trilobites, shells, teeth, bones, fossil-bearing rocks, and outcrop formations.	Flexibound	848 pages
The Illustrated Guide to Fossils & Fossil Collecting	Identifies over 375 plant and animal fossils from around the globe.	Hardcover	256 pages
Fantastic Fossils: A Guide to Finding and Identifying Prehistoric Life	Covers finding, identifying, and classifying prehistoric fossils.	Paperback	336 pages
Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States	Describes 46 fossil-collecting sites in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.	Paperback	216 pages

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fossils: North America

The National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fossils: North America is recommended for readers looking to identify a range of North American fossils, including corals, trilobites, shells, teeth, bones, fossil-bearing rocks, and outcrop formations. More than 500 identification photographs are arranged by color and shape, while descriptions give details about size, geological period, distribution, and ecology.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fossils: North America

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The Illustrated Guide to Fossils & Fossil Collecting

The Illustrated Guide to Fossils & Fossil Collecting is recommended for readers who want an illustrated guide to identifying fossils from around the world. It covers over 375 plant and animal fossils, with each entry pairing a fossil photograph and factbox with artwork reconstructing the original organism.

The Illustrated Guide to Fossils & Fossil Collecting

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Fantastic Fossils: A Guide to Finding and Identifying Prehistoric Life

Fantastic Fossils: A Guide to Finding and Identifying Prehistoric Life is recommended for readers who want guidance on both finding fossils and identifying what they find. It covers how to find fossils and classify major types, with an identification section on groups such as trilobites and fossil plants. The book also discusses responsible and ethical fossil hunting.

Fantastic Fossils: A Guide to Finding and Identifying Prehistoric Life

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Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States

Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States is recommended for readers interested in collecting fossils at sites in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia. For each of its 46 sites, the book provides directions, fossil lists, guidance on what to look for, and details about rock formations and geologic periods, along with notes on special hazards or problems and illustrations of major specimens.

Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States

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Choosing a fossil guide

• Readers identifying a range of North American fossil types
  • National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fossils: North America
• Readers seeking an illustrated guide to fossils from around the world
  • The Illustrated Guide to Fossils & Fossil Collecting
• Readers looking for guidance on finding and identifying prehistoric fossils
  • Fantastic Fossils: A Guide to Finding and Identifying Prehistoric Life
• Readers seeking fossil-collecting locations in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia
  • Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States

Geological context and fossil preservation

If you also want geological context and guidance on fossil care, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fossils: North America includes a geological time chart and a guide to collecting and preserving fossils.