To mark the 20th year of the opening of Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown, and 200 years since the foundation of the collection, the museum has published a new guidebook to the Island’s fossils.
Alongside their work providing support to other essential services during the pandemic, staff at the museum have worked with local fine and palaeo artist Trudie Wilson to produce the 230-page book.
The book is more than a guide to the museum displays, as it showcases many other fossils, spectacular and common, found on the Island.
Dinosaur Isle in 101 Fossils
The new book is called Dinosaur Isle in 101 Fossils and has been written by assistant community learning officer Alex Peaker and museum general manager and curator Dr Martin Munt. Trudie Wilson designed and brought the work together into an attractive and accessible format.
Rather than describing the individual fossils, the book uses them to tell the 125-million-year geological story of the Island, along with what the fossils tell us about ancient environments. Mixed in are anecdotes about the people who discovered them and places they were found.
Munt: Possible thanks to fossil collectors, museum staff and volunteers
Dr Munt said,
“This book has only been possible because of 200 years of fossil collectors, museum staff and volunteers supporting the museum and believing that our world class fossil heritage should stay here where it belongs on the Island.
“The book has been written for the general reader, and we provide a glossary of the technical terms to help with understanding.”
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
