Birks and Birks (both palaeoecology, U. of Bergen and U. College London) introduce undergraduate and research students with such backgrounds as botany, zoology, geology, geography, and archaeology, to the science of reconstructing the biota, communities, and environments during the period that saw the first appearance and early development of human beings. They do not cover marine Quaternary palaeoecology in any detail, because their own research has focused on terrestrial and fresh-water environments. The 1980 edition was published by Edward Arnold Limited. Annotation 2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
