A Monograph of British Graptolites by Gertrude L.Elles and Ethel M.R.Wood, edited by CharlesLapworth. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2015. No. of pages: a–m + 1–539 (vol. 1), i–clxxi (vol. 2, including 52 plates). Price: Volume 1 £34‐00, Volume 2 £25‐99. ISBN 978-1-108-08440-6 (volume 1), 978‐1‐108‐08441‐3 (volume 2) (paperback).

Abstract

The Monograph of British Graptolites by Gertrude Elles, Ethel Wood and Charles Lapworth (1901–1918), is still, after a hundred years, one of the standard reference works on planktonic graptolites. Although graptolite taxonomy has moved on since publication of the original monograph, as a starting point for graptoloid identification, it is still useful to have the majority of the British fauna illustrated and described in a single publication. In addition, as many graptolite species are found on several palaeocontinents, the utility of the book is not limited to the British Isles. One of the outstanding features of the original was the plates. Specimens were drawn (by Wood) at five times life size; the drawings were published at life size. This arrangement has the benefit that it is possible to compare a specimen directly with a drawing, and also that more detail is visible on the drawing using a hand lens. My immediate thoughts on hearing that the work had been reissued were jubilation, because second-hand copies of the original are as rare as graptolite soft tissue, and then to wonder about the quality of the plates. The reproduction is in two volumes: the text in one and ‘History of Research’ and the plates in the other. This is a sensible way of arranging the information, as it is possible to read the description of a species while looking at the illustrations. The reproduction of the text is adequate, and the in-text figures are generally acceptable, if sometimes a little faint. The figures have been reproduced at the correct size. Unfortunately, some of the images on the plates have not been reproduced to the same quality as the original. For example, Plate XIII, Fig. 8, is very pale and details have been lost, and in Fig. 3b of the same plate, details of the interthecal septa are visible in the original monograph, but not in the reproduction. Despite the issues with image quality, the reproduction is usable for graptolite identification in conjunction with more recent literature. The price is reasonable, considering the size of the books. This reprinted monograph will be useful for anyone, not just in the UK, who is interested in identifying graptolites.