Fossil Shark Teeth of the World Paperback – February 6, 2002

There are plenty of things I love about this book, and a few things I must nitpick.Things I love:1) This book provides an in-depth analysis of various species of fossil shark teeth.2) The teeth of species is shown though various photographs.3) All the different shark species mentioned in the novel are organized by family for easy perusal.4) There's an annotation/notes section in the back. I used this to update the book after reading about subsequent fossil shark discoveries.5) Each species is described in regards to its rarity and distinguishing features.6) The descriptions are detailed and easy to understand.7) Extremely easy to use for novice shark tooth collectors.Things I did not like:1) The descriptions could be a little more in-depth for some species.2) The book is a little outdated (only a few years). New discoveries disproved some statements made in the book.3) Some species mentioned in passing should have been given a page of their own.4) The photos are in black and white: the various and often vibrant colors of fossil shark teeth cannot be truly appreciated by black and white photographs.5) The countries in which these shark teeth are found should be given so as to give the reader a better understanding of where to look for these teeth.In all, this book is perfect for any novice or expert studying or collecting fossil shark teeth, as this field guide allows you to better identify species for both public and private collections. I personally have discovered more shark species in my fossil shark tooth collection that I had no idea were part of my trove of teeth. As such, I highly recommend this book. Last but not least, don't hesitate to right in the notes section in the back, especially if you find a rare fossil shark tooth from a species not mentioned in the book, such as the extremely rare Megalolamna, Otodus poseidoni or Carcharodon hubbelli; the true ancestor of the great white discovered in the years after this book came out.

I got this book prior to going shark teeth hunting and once we found the teeth it was difficult to use the drawings they have to identify any of them. It was an interesting read but ended up buy another book while at the beach.

Great book

An essential guide for those who collect fossil shark teeth because it's the most comprehensive available. Which is not to say it is as good as it could be. Yes, the biggest complaint is the photographs, which are sometimes murky and do not show scale. I'd like to see a graphic which shows a silhouette of the tooth in an actual size range, then a good photo of examples of the teeth. Glossy color photos on a consistent background would be good. True, colors change from site to site and are irrelevant to identifying species, but the teeth can be very beautiful and in some instances (NJ Cretaceous) the variety of colors is breathtaking. A number of common species are not represented (Cretaceous Sand Tigers for instance) and common names uncited. Site ranges for each species across the US would also be nice too. That said, I do refer to the book regularly, and have recommended it to or purchased it for others.

My husband makes shark teeth jewelry and this is a great resource!

Apparently, there is a dearth of good fossil shark tooth guides. The quality of the most important aspect of the book, the illustrations, is very poor. Most look like third generation Xeroxed photographs, others appear to be blown up beyond recognition, many are white-washed, some are pixilated, and a few are so grainy and out of focus that they could represent just about anything. In the Scyliorhinus photograph, the teeth are less than three millimeters across! The information the author provides, however, can be quite beneficial. Each species comes with a description including the age of the fossil, synonyms, key characters and a listing of similar species. This information, and considering that the cataloging is quite extensive, allows me to rate this book with three stars. There is a great deal of room for improvement, however. The collection locality (often, just the state) is given for each image, but other locales are not provided. Morphometric information may be a valuable addition, especially to distinguish juveniles, sexually dimorphic forms and underdeveloped teeth. In addition to the listing of similar species, an actual description of the defining characters of each would help to differentiate the species. There is some additional information-associated fossils, a few Paleozoic and Mesozoic forms, a dendrogram of Lamniform evolution, etc.-but none of it is complete. Unfortunately, this is best guide that I've found to date!

Bought this book for my brother who is crazy over artifacts and anything old. He loves it, but since I did not read or look at the book I will not be able to give a good review.

Excellent guide for a new "shark tooth" hunter. I spent many a day looking for shark's teeth in the Calvert Cliffs portion of Maryland. I came away with hundreds of teeth and no way to identify them. This book will not only help you to identify the teeth, it will also give you the time period and history of that shark. A very comprehensive guide to anyone that loves sharks and wants to identify their finds.

Nice little book with a decent amount of information, but the printing is poor and black and white. The pictures of the shark teeth are not always usable. Nice to start out with, but for good determination you need a better book.