New Book on Ceph Evolution--Seeking Input!

[Danna]

Everyone loves dinosaurs, right? But I hardly need to point out here that the fossil record of cephalopods goes way further back, and is WAY more exciting. Isn't it time for ancient cephs to enjoy their version of the 1970's dinosaur renaissance?

Well, last year I managed to convince a publisher that it is indeed time, and now I'm writing a book about cephalopod evolution. I've been reading papers and interviewing scientists, and I've got heaps of material, but now I would love to hear from all you wonderful fellow ceph-lovers:

What are your favorite ancient cephalopods that everyone should meet?
What stories absolutely have to go into a book about cephalopod evolution?
What are your most burning questions about ceph fossils and evolution?

I'll be profoundly and publicly grateful for any input in the book acknowledgements (unless you don't wish to be thanked, in which case I'll keep my gratitude quiet).

More book deets: the publisher is ForeEdge, the trade imprint of the University Press of New England (so even tho it's an academic press, this is a "trade book" not a textbook, meaning it's written for a general audience) and the publication date is sometime in Fall 2017.

 

[Mark Bolton]

I am very excited by this. I have always wanted to see such a work. More power to your tentacle.

 

[DWhatley]

I am hoping "trade" book vs "text" book will mean I can afford it
@Architeuthoceras, @Terri or @Hajar may have some interesting input as they have been the most active of the fossil members (will poke them on FB too) but I am looking forward to the book to learn. Sadly my first thought was of the guy who proposed ancient cephs artistically arranged their prey bones and probably should not be included in a serious work, even as a humor piece.

 

[Mark Bolton]

I can perform your work into a spoken book. 1. If you have written it in flowing language. 2. If it is Cephalopodicly sound.

 

[DWhatley]

I have started listening to audio books while I force this out of shape body to work out in the AM (or thereabouts) so wish to encourage an audio book (I read at night/early AM so audio is not critical but would give me a new choice). @Mark Bolton meet Doctor Danna Staaf (older ceph only blog) Here is some of her other interesting writing) and here, my personal favorite, is a video recap of her thesis work

 

[tonmo]

Awesome! As I have a decent collection of books which acknowledge TONMO.com, to whatever degree you get help here, please remember the site itself

 

[Architeuthoceras]

Fantastic! I look forward to seeing this book published! It should of course include my favorite cephalopods, the externally shelled ones A few of the stories it should tell include the great Ordovician diversification, the appearance of the ammonoids, the appearance of the Coleoids, and the appearance of the octopods. And if it could answer the question of what ammonoids really looked like, that would be wonderful.

Again, I look forward to seeing your book, and thank you for writing it.

 

[DWhatley]

I just came across this abstract (Dealing with Difference: Using the Osteobiographies of a Woman with Leprosy and a Woman with Gigantism from Medieval Poland to Identify Practices of Care) in my on-going Google Scholar scan and it occurred to me to suggest a chapter on cephs as homeopathic medicine.

 

[Danna]

I am hoping "trade" book vs "text" book will mean I can afford it
@Architeuthoceras, @Terri or @Hajar may have some interesting input as they have been the most active of the fossil members (will poke them on FB too) but I am looking forward to the book to learn. Sadly my first thought was of the guy who proposed ancient cephs artistically arranged their prey bones and probably should not be included in a serious work, even as a humor piece.

Yes, I expect it will be much cheaper than the average textbook! Interesting that you mention the McMenanamins' work--it's the crankiest of several crank theories that I am still trying to decide whether or not to mention in the book. (One of the others is Lewy's "octopods as nude ammonoids" theory, which has been pretty thoroughly discredited.)

Thank you for the connections!

 

[Danna]

I can perform your work into a spoken book. 1. If you have written it in flowing language. 2. If it is Cephalopodicly sound.

Awesome! Once we get further along in the publishing process, I'll poke my editor about an audiobook.

 

[Danna]

Awesome! As I have a decent collection of books which acknowledge TONMO.com, to whatever degree you get help here, please remember the site itself

I definitely will!

 

[Danna]

Fantastic! I look forward to seeing this book published! It should of course include my favorite cephalopods, the externally shelled ones A few of the stories it should tell include the great Ordovician diversification, the appearance of the ammonoids, the appearance of the Coleoids, and the appearance of the octopods. And if it could answer the question of what ammonoids really looked like, that would be wonderful.

Again, I look forward to seeing your book, and thank you for writing it.

Thank you! An excellent set of stories indeed. I'm curious what "the appearnce of the octopods" would mean to most people--stem-group forms like Pohlsepia, or more modern octopuses? It has been so fun (and so complicated) to dig into the debate over the "early gladius-bearing coleoids"...

 

[Danna]

I just came across this abstract (Dealing with Difference: Using the Osteobiographies of a Woman with Leprosy and a Woman with Gigantism from Medieval Poland to Identify Practices of Care) in my on-going Google Scholar scan and it occurred to me to suggest a chapter on cephs as homeopathic medicine.

Hmm, that is intriguing! I have already included some mention of fossil cephs used as medicine (e.g. ground-up belemnite dust blown into the eyes to treat "soreness of the eyes" which seems just a tiny bit counterproductive) so I could potentially expand that.

P.S. to everyone: sorry for my silence over the weekend! Family descended and I wasn't able to scuffle my way out to a computer.