Author: Andy Secher
Title: Travels with Trilobites: Adventures in the Paleozoic
Format: e-book
Pages: 608
Series: –
Andy Secher’s book is a love letter to trilobites. Filled with purple prose and overly emotional at times, its enthusiasm and open admiration for its subject is nonetheless quite catching. A chapter or two of this book, especially if accompanied by careful examination of the photographs, and I’m ready to hit the road and roam the countryside, hammer in hand, in search of trilobites. Say what you will, trilobites were amazing creatures and their fabuluously strange bodies preserved for millions of years can be both a source of aesthetic pleasure and of intellectual curiosity. Looking at some of the species, you can almost see what inspired H.R. Giger… 😀
I’m a bit miffed that my Kindle version contains only black-and-white photographs, because photos are absolutely the strongest element of this book. Check them out online – full-colour, often full-page spreads of the close-ups of… trilobites. Ventral and dorsal sides, antennae, pygidia, disarticulated exoskeletons in different colors, profusion of axial spines, all of this and more is here :). These many-legged functional equivalents of today’s horseshoe crab were one of the most successful genera in Earth’s long history, and the thrived in the shallow seas for over two hundred and fifty million years (yes, 250 million!). Over this time they had been continuously evolving and adapting to their environment in many, often surprising forms. It’s telling that there’s over 25 thousand recognized species of trilobites. In Travels with Trilobites Secher showcases the treasures of his own collection, and the photographs are truly impressive. Some of these trilobites look ready to run off the page, jump into the ocean and start swimming around (or just dig into the sediment and sit there happily).
Secher conveys a bit of his hard-earned knowledge here, although mostly of the more pragmatic, collector-oriented type: where the most interesting or popular species of trilobites can be found, how much they can cost, who digs them out and how they are prepared, how to make sure you’re not getting a Frankenstein trilobite artfully concocted from disparate parts of completely disparate species, etc. The book is intentionally light, filled with anecdotes and conversations with fellow collectors. He takes his readers on a trip through the most trilobite-infested (I imagine Secher would have been quite offended at my use of the term, as he prefers to call them trilobite-rich) places on Earth, from Grenland and Canada to the U.S. to Morocco to Russia to China and Australia, and along the way delivers a general overview of the quirks of geological time and tectonic plate movement. If you expect a scientific book, however, that’s not it. In Secher’s own words, his book should be treated as engaging infotainment. Light on science, full to the brim with pretty pictures, Travels with Trilobites would make a perfect coffee table book: to be picked now and then, with focus on the delightful images (of which there are 300!), with bits of entertaining text to be read if the mood’s right. And the mood must be right, because, truth be told, the style is so ornate, verbose and purple that sometimes it’s quite difficult to endure – at least for me. Just a taste here, one sentence among thousands:
“Thanks to this intriguing combination of factors – including their easy availability for both study and sale, their often outlandish appearance, the amazing tales told by their fossilized remains, and the incredible duration of their passage through Earth history – trilobites, in all their multisegmented glory, represent one of early life’s most captivating efforts.”
Still, the enthusiasm palpable on these pages makes up for the overly purply tinge of the long and winding sentences 😉 Secher clearly loves trilobites in all their sizes and forms. His admiration for these unique, long-gone creatures, as well as his collecting zeal, are really contagious. So, if Secher’s true purpose was to unleash a growing horde of trilobite lovers upon the world, he actually has a pretty good chance of succeeding. Count me in!
Score: 6/10
I have received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Re-enchantment Of The World 
Wow! He is verbose, but the enthusiasm is great! And “a love letter to trilobites” sounds like high prize!! Thanks for sharing!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reading, Susy! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love trilobites. I’m so sad that they got extinct. Are horseshoe crabs trilobites, by the way? I’m not sure but this book must have the answer. In any case, for buying a trilobite fossil, I was warned that there are many fake trilobites coming out of Morocco, which is a shame.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nope, trilobites left no descendants, sadly. Horseshoe crabs have similar nature to trilobites, though, and paleontologists think they might have exhibited similar behaviors.
Yup, Morocco and Russia, according to the book, are foremost in making and selling trilobite fakes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms: The Story of the Animals and Plants That Time Has Left Behind” by Richard Fortey might be a book that appeals to you more.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, never heard of it! Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll take a look! 😀
LikeLike
This sounds amazing to me despite the drawbacks you’ve pointed out. I read a number of palaeontology books last year and I do recall trilobites mentioned left and right – they definitely have a fan club! One book I read constantly recommended to me Richard Fortey’s “Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, the trilobite fan club is sizeable! I guess it’s because they are so varied, relatively easy to obtain, and cute in a weird way 😉
I’ll check out Fortey’s book, thanks for the rec!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I got this one from NetGalley — Adrian Tchaikovsky’s “Doors of Eden” sparked my previously nonexistent interest in trilobites. Although if these ones end up NOT having spacefaring capabilities, I may end up disappointed 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oops, sorry! Looks like you might want to prepare for disappointment 😅 But the pictures will hopefully alleviate some of it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, this does indeed sound interesting – and I’m now wondering how I could never make the connection between trilobites and Giger’s inspiration for that famous xenomorph. Until now, that is… 😉
LikeLike
This reminds me of fossil Pokemons (especially Kabuto) and I agree that they are visually quite fascinating! Glad the purple prose didn’t take away from the experience for you. Great thoughts, Ola! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually, I was tempted to include a bit of trivia: the most dangerous of trilobite predators, Anomalocaris, served as inspiration for the Pokemon Anorith 😀 But yeah, you’re 100% right: trilobites and sea scorpions served as direct inspiration for Kabuto!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some amazing creatures they are indeed. H.R had some weird sex dreams where his art came from, but there is no mistake if you look at some trilobites how the idea of the Bone ship from Alien was imagined. Gret review Ola
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, man! Yeah, trilobites were really amazing creatures. Can you imagine an animal that’s been around for 250 million years? They hit the sweet spot, I say 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Been listening to a band that deal with geology and all their albums are themed around the prehistoric ages. Quite cool
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh! Sounds very interesting! What band is that?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whoops sorry The Ocean, Ahab did a Moby Dick themed album🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whales are certainly impressive too! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes they are. The ocean’s Eternal Recurrance music vid has a nice big trilobite in it🙂.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll take a look, thanks! 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is the first I’ve ever heard of these creatures. They make me think of centipedes, though, so I can’t look at them for look without feeling creeped out and uncomfortable, unfortunately. However, I appreciate learning about them through your review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Zezee! They were actually more like roly-poly’s just bigger, and living in the ocean 😉 I rather dislike centipedes myself, especially the gigantic venomous ones, brr 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Re-Enchanted 2022 – Re-enchantment Of The World