The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World (MacSci)

257 Pages·2009·1.82 MB·English

by  Shelley Emling

The Fossil Hunter
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The Fossil Hunter
Dinosaurs, Evolution, and
the Woman Whose Discoveries
Changed the World
S E
HELLEY MLING
THE FOSSIL HUNTER
Copyright © Shelley Emling, 2009.
All rights reserved.
First published in 2009 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the
world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers
Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN: 978–0–230–61156–6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Emling, Shelley.
The fossil hunter : dinosaurs, evolution, and the woman whose
d iscoveries changed the world / Shelley Emling.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–230–61156–7
1. Anning, Mary, 1799–1847. 2. Women paleontologists—England—
Biography. 3. Paleontologists—England—Biography. 4. Discoveries in
science—History—19th century. I. Title.
QE707.A56E46 2009
560.92—dc22 [B] 2009017900
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: October 2009
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
To Chris, Ben, and Olivia, who make
everything—everyday—better
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Contents
Acknowledgments . ix
Prologue . xi
1. Snakestones, Thunderbolts,
and Verteberries . 1
2. A Fantastic Beast . 21
3. An Unimaginable World . 37
4. A Great Kindness . 57
5. A Long- Necked Beauty . 75
6. The Hidden Mysteries of Coprolites . 95
7. Finally, the Big City of London . 113
8. An Amazing New Fish . 131
9. Spilling Secrets . 147
10. Esteemed Visitors . 161
11. The Earth Moves . 177
12. The Making of a Legend . 193
Epilogue . 207
Timeline . 215
Notes . 217
Index . 227
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Acknowledgments
Since her death, Mary Anning has garnered a small but hard-
c ore group of fans who have spent countless hours of time
researching her life. Without them, it would be impossible for
someone like me to tell her story in my own way. William Lang
(1878–1966) was Keeper of the Department of Geology at the
British Museum, and, after retiring to Charmouth, he gathered
together a wealth of information on Mary’s work and background.
Hugh Torrens is a geologist and historian who also has done an
enormous amount of research on Mary, and was kind enough
to meet with me. Other writers and historians who have done
incredible work on Mary and other scientists of her era include
Thomas W. Goodhue, John Fowles, Deborah Cadbury, Patricia
Pierce, Christopher McGowan, and Paul J. McCartney.
Personally I’d like to thank my agent, the tireless Agnes
Birnbaum, who never, ever gave up. Thank you to my incredible
editor at Palgrave Macmillan, Alessandra Bastagli, who believed
in—and delighted in—Mary’s story. Also thanks to Colleen
Lawrie at Palgrave for kindly helping me through all the nitty-
gritty of delivering a book.
Thanks to the many friends and family members—especially
Carolyn, Ginger, Paula, and Special K—who have always taken
an interest in my progress on the book. Thanks also to Tom and
Annette Buk-S wienty for inspiring me and to Peter and Rachel
Hayward for kindly allowing me to stay in their lovely home—a
great base for visits to Lyme Regis. Thanks to Sasee Cats—you
know who you are—for the daily laughs. Let’s hope they never
end. Anything I manage to accomplish is dedicated to the mem-
ory of my wonderful mother—always. Finally, my biggest debt of