Volume 1

Urged by his colleague Edward Forbes, Thomas Wright (1809–84) devoted himself to completing this monograph of the echinoderms ('spiny-skinned animals') of Britain's Oolitic formations. These would be referred to as Middle Jurassic by the modern geologist. This is a notable contribution, describing as it does the echinoderms following a major stratigraphic gap. In the British Isles, apart from some minor occurrences in the Permian and Lower Jurassic, echinoderms are almost entirely absent from the Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian), a period we now know to represent 150 million years. Although common and diverse elsewhere during this interval, the British Oolitic echinoderms show many changes from those of the Mississippian. Wright's two-volume monograph includes thorough descriptions and locality details, all supported by beautiful plates. Volume 1, originally published in four parts between 1857 and 1861, considers the many and varied echinoids (sea urchins) of the Middle Jurassic.

Volume 2

Urged by his colleague Edward Forbes, Thomas Wright (1809–84) devoted himself to completing this monograph of the echinoderms ('spiny-skinned animals') of Britain's Oolitic formations. These would be referred to as Middle Jurassic by the modern geologist. This is a notable contribution, describing as it does the echinoderms following a major stratigraphic gap. In the British Isles, apart from some minor occurrences in the Permian and Lower Jurassic, echinoderms are almost entirely absent from the Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian), a period we now know to represent 150 million years. Although common and diverse elsewhere during this interval, the British Oolitic echinoderms show many changes from those of the Mississippian. Wright's two-volume monograph includes thorough descriptions and locality details, all supported by beautiful plates. Volume 2, originally published in three parts between 1863 and 1880, considers those most beautiful of invertebrates, the asteroids (starfishes) and ophiuroids (brittle stars) of the Middle Jurassic.

Thomas Wright (1809-84) was a leading nineteenth-century monographer of the Mesozoic echinoderms ('spiny-skinned animals') of the British Isles. The task of describing the British Cretaceous echinoids (sea urchins) was originally to be undertaken by Edward Forbes (1815-54), but his untimely death thrust the responsibility onto Wright. This project was made the more difficult when the accumulated specimens of Forbes disappeared after his death. Fortunately, the British Cretaceous is particularly rich in echinoids which have always been attractive to collectors, so many other sources were available for study. In particular, this work is dominated by the sea urchins of the Chalk, which are diverse, commonly well preserved and sometimes bizarre in morphology. Originally published in ten parts between 1864 and 1882, Wright's text is further enhanced by a suite of fine lithographic plates, mainly by Charles R. Bone (1808-75), who unfortunately died before completion of the project.

Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Thomas Wright (1809–84) pursued medical, anatomical and surgical studies, and from 1832 spent the rest of his life in Cheltenham, where he worked as a medical officer and as surgeon to the Cheltenham General Hospital and Dispensary. The fossils he collected from the Jurassic rocks of the neighbourhood led him to publish a series of works, including monographs on the British Jurassic and Cretaceous echinoids (also reissued in this series). Reissued in two volumes, the present work originally appeared in eight parts between 1878 and 1886. Wright died before the final part was completed; this was accomplished from his notes by Thomas Wiltshire. As well as descriptions of fossils, there is a comprehensive stratigraphic section, an account of 'the structure and classification of the Cephalopoda', and a comprehensive 'analysis of the families and genera of the fossil Cephalopoda' by Wiltshire. The work contains nearly ninety exquisite lithographic plates.

Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Thomas Wright (1809–84) pursued medical, anatomical and surgical studies, and from 1832 spent the rest of his life in Cheltenham, where he worked as a medical officer and as surgeon to the Cheltenham General Hospital and Dispensary. The fossils he collected from the Jurassic rocks of the neighbourhood led him to publish a series of works, including monographs on the British Jurassic and Cretaceous echinoids (also reissued in this series). Reissued in two volumes, the present work originally appeared in eight parts between 1878 and 1886. Wright died before the final part was completed; this was accomplished from his notes by Thomas Wiltshire. As well as descriptions of fossils, there is a comprehensive stratigraphic section, an account of 'the structure and classification of the Cephalopoda', and a comprehensive 'analysis of the families and genera of the fossil Cephalopoda' by Wiltshire. The work contains nearly ninety exquisite lithographic plates.

Urged by his colleague Edward Forbes, Thomas Wright (1809-84) devoted himself to completing this monograph of the echinoderms ('spiny-skinned animals') of Britain's Oolitic formations. These would be referred to as Middle Jurassic by the modern geologist. This is a notable contribution, describing as it does the echinoderms following a major stratigraphic gap. In the British Isles, apart from some minor occurrences in the Permian and Lower Jurassic, echinoderms are almost entirely absent from the Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian), a period we now know to represent 150 million years. Although common and diverse elsewhere during this interval, the British Oolitic echinoderms show many changes from those of the Mississippian. Wright's two-volume monograph includes thorough descriptions and locality details, all supported by beautiful plates. Volume 1, originally published in four parts (1857-61), covers echinoids (sea urchins). Volume 2 (three parts, 1863-80) considers asteroids (starfishes) and ophiuroids (brittle stars) of the Middle Jurassic.

Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Thomas Wright (1809-84) pursued medical, anatomical and surgical studies, and from 1832 spent the rest of his life in Cheltenham, where he worked as a medical officer and as surgeon to the Cheltenham General Hospital and Dispensary. The fossils he collected from the Jurassic rocks of the neighbourhood led him to publish a series of works, including monographs on the British Jurassic and Cretaceous echinoids (also reissued in this series). Reissued in two volumes, the present work originally appeared in eight parts between 1878 and 1886. Wright died before the final part was completed; this was accomplished from his notes by Thomas Wiltshire. As well as descriptions of fossils, there is a comprehensive stratigraphic section, an account of 'the structure and classification of the Cephalopoda', and a comprehensive 'analysis of the families and genera of the fossil Cephalopoda' by Wiltshire. The work contains nearly ninety exquisite lithographic plates.