Among the major events in evolutionary history, few rival in importance the appearance of animals. The Rise of Animals--a significant reference providing a comprehensive synthesis of the early radiation of the animal kingdom--fully captures this moment in geologic time.

Five of the world's leading paleontologists take us on a journey to the most important fossil sites that serve as unique windows to the earliest animal life--including the Ediacara Hills of Australia, the Russian taiga and tundra, the deserts of southwest Africa, and the rugged coasts of Newfoundland. Each of...