Duchess Sarah Ferguson
Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life is a detailed and engrossing account of the life and work of ground-breaking (literally) palaeontologist Mary Anning. It's well-pitched at its intended middle-grade audience, but makes an informative read for anyone with an amateur interest in the fossil record or the history of women in science. Anning came from humble beginnings, as the daughter of a carpenter in the town of Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast of southern England. In 1812, after her brother Joseph unearthed the large fossilised skull of an unidentified crocodile-like animal, Mary followed her conviction that the remainder of the fossilised skeleton may remain in situ in the cliff. Aged 12 or 13, she subsequently excavated and mounted the first complete ichthyosaur known by modern science (Ichthyosaurus platyodon, later renamed Temnodontosaurus platyodon), now on display at the Natural History Museum in London. Over the next 30 years of her life, Anning excavated further ichthyosaurs, the first complete Plesiosaurus fossil, the first British example of a flying dinosaur - a pterosaur (Dimorphodon macronyx) and the first squaloraja fossil (Squaloraja polyspondyla). She developed professional associations with many renowned geologists - all male - who respected her opinions and sought examples of her work, but rarely gave her any credit for their published discoveries. Cheryl Blackford explores the challenges faced by intelligent women born before their time, and celebrates Mary Anning's resilience and commitment in pursuing her life's work despite the social and financial barriers in her way. "Mary Anning's legacy lies not only in the fossils she found and the contributions she made to science, but also in the example she set for women to follow." The narrative part of the book is liberally illustrated with photographs and artistic renderings of the ancient animals, and is usefully augmented with a timeline, helpfully contextualising Mary Anning's discoveries against other major events of the time and intervening period. A glossary of terms also assists younger readers, not only with the meanings of fossil-related terms, but their proper pronunciation (Only one of these stood out to me as representing American pronunciation (Cheryl Blackford was born in Yorkshire, but is now based in Minnesota, USA): the phonemic given is fah-sill, whereas English and Australian readers would pronounce the word foss-ull). I found Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life a stimulating read, having visited Lyme Regis and developed an interest in palaeontology at around the same age Mary Anning was assisting her father on his explorations. I've also recently re-read Jane Austen's Persuasion, a significant part of which is set in Lyme Regis. Interestingly, the scenes in Persuasion would have happened roughly contemporaneously with Mary Anning's discovery of her first ichthyosaur. Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life is a well-conceived and written account of the life and achievements of one of modern science's great heroines. Mary Anning was a "hidden figure" in her own time, but her fame now deservedly eclipses that of the various "gentlemen scientists" who took the credit for her discoveries. This is an inspiring story that will be appreciated by any reader with an interest in natural history, the history of scientific endeavour, and/or the achievements of women in traditionally male-dominated fields. I'd highly recommend this title as a gift for a science-minded young recipient, or as a worthy addition to any school or public library's non-fiction collection.
