A history of land mammals in the western hemisphere

The work surveys the fossil record of terrestrial mammals across the Americas, outlining successive faunal assemblages from early epochs through the Pleistocene and examining patterns of evolution and extinction. It combines descriptive accounts of notable discoveries and museum holdings with explanatory chapters on mammalian skeletons, dentition, classification, and geological context, offering a nontechnical glossary and guidance for readers to interpret bones and teeth. Illustrated plates and drawings support discussions of major groups and paleontological methods, while attention to comparative anatomy and stratigraphic evidence links fossil forms to broader questions of environmental change and biogeographic history.