For those who have ever read any of his previous books, such as Dinosaurs Without Bones or The Evolution Underground, who have ever attended his lectures, or heard an interview with him, Prof. Anthony J. Martin needs no introduction. Renowned for his pioneering work in ichnology, as well as for bringing the very subject of trace fossils to the attention of the wider audience of amateur naturalists, his knowledge of the subject is as expansive as his enthusiasm for it is delightfully ebullient.
In his recently published Tracking the Golden Isles; The Natural and Human Histories of the Georgia Coast, just released this summer from University of Georgia Press, he shifts his perspective from globe-spanning overviews of ichnological inquiries to a very specific area of study: the U.S. state of Georgia’s coastal region.
Taking a three-part approach in applying ichnological techniques to the region – an overview of Georgia barrier island ecosystems, the relatively short (5,000 years) history of human habitation in the area, and an examination of the effects of anthropogenic climate change to it – Prof. Martin once again is breaking new ground in presenting his readers with clear explanations of how studying the traces life forms leave behind can be used in uncovering new and surprising information about the lives they lived.
