Written in Stone: The Hidden Secrets of Fossils and the Story of Life on Earth

The first book on the hunt for evolution's 'missing links' over the last three decades – and what palaeontologists' findings mean for our place on earth. Darwin's theory was for more than a century dogged by a major problem: the evidence proving the connections between the main groups of organisms were nowhere to be found. By the 1970s this absence of 'transitional fossils' was hotly debated. However, during the past three decades fossils of walking whales from Pakistan, feathered dinosaurs from China, and many more bizarre creatures have all been unearthed. Written in Stone is the first account of the remarkable discovery of these gap fossils and of the new stories they tell about the evolution of life.

Magisterial ... part historical account, part scientific detective story. Switek's elegant prose and thoughtful scholarship will change the way you see life on our planet.
- Neil Shubin, author of "Your Inner Fish"

"Well researched and beautifully written"
- BBC Focus

Brian Switek writes a blog for Wired magazine which has been featured in the Guardian, Daily Mail, New Scientist, The New York Times and The Times ('Brilliant writing about palaeontology and evolution, with great daily photos'). He has been a guest on BBC Radio 4's Material World and written for The Times and the Guardian.