Prothero's Latest Book Wins Recognition
March 14, 2008Contact: Colleen Sharkey, (323) 259-1406
Occidental paleontologist Don Prothero’s latest book, Evolution: What the Fossils Say And Why It Matters, has been named a winner of a 2007 Award of Excellence by the Association of American Publishers’ Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division.
Awards were given in 30 categories, including earth science, where Prothero took the prize. The panel of expert judges included librarians, academics and working publishers. One of Amazon’s top-selling science books, Prothero’s twenty-second tome has reached the number two spot in the paleontology section. Excerpts from Prothero’s book made the cover story of the March 1st issue of New Scientist.
"I'm very pleased and flattered that my book was selected for this award,” said Prothero, a professor of geology and member of the Occidental faculty since 1985. “There were many outstanding trade books in the earth sciences this year, so the selection of my book is truly an honor.”
AAP President and CEO Pat Schroeder extended the Association’s congratulations to all of the Award honorees, noting that “promoting and encouraging the dissemination of scholarship is one of AAP’s primary missions.” She also highlighted the special honor of being chosen by one’s peers for these awards.
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies—small and large. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s highest priorities.
Prothero, who earned his Ph.D. in geology from Columbia University, teaches physical and historical geology, sedimentary geology, and paleontology at Occidental. His specialties are mammalian paleontology and magnetic stratigraphy of the Cenozoic period. His current research focuses on how climatic changes affected animal life between 30 and 40 million years ago, ushering out the “greenhouse” conditions of the dinosaur age and welcoming our modern “icehouse” world with polar ice caps.