Essential and accessible reading for any student of evolution. The Biologist, 2002 The text is well written for an upper division undergraduate or beginning graduate student audience and attempts to incorporate a contemporary perspective on phylogenetics and paleoecology of the major groups of land plants, drawing on current literature throughout. Stephen L. Jessup, Southern Oregon University, USA Innovative, up to date, more incisive than many comparable level texts, bringing together physical and biological scientific enquiry in an exciting way. Nigel Brown, University of Wales, Bangor This is the finest palaeobotanical textbook for decades, and one that captures extremely well the exciting renaissance the subject is currently experiencing. Geological Magazine, 140, 2003