Margaret Hynes has worked in publishing for 13 years. She has written a number of pre-school and children's titles on topics including English vocabulary, history, poverty and population. Margaret has also edited an array of books for adults.

6 Foreword; 7 Chapter one: A world of rock; 8 Rock foundations; 10 The changing landscape; 12 Rocks of fire; 14 Compacted rock; 16 Metamorphic rocks; 18 Rocks from space; 20 Erosion; 22 Weathering; 24 Construction and industry; 26 Works of art; 28 Summary; 29 Chapter two: Fossil remains; 30 Preserved in stone; 32 Remarkable remains; 34 Trace fossils; 36 Early palaeontology; 38 Fossil fuels/useful fuels; 40 Summary; 41 Chapter three: Records in the rocks; 42 Reading the rocks; 44 The first animals; 46 The age of fishes; 48 Animal life moves on land; 50 Age of reptiles; 52 Prehistoric plants; 54 Mammals; 56 Humans; 58 Summary; 60 Glossary; 62 Index; 64 Acknowledgements.