Patterns and Processes of Vertebrate Evolution is a new text providing an integrated view of the forces that influence the patterns and rates of vertebrate evolution, from those at the level of living populations and species to those that resulted in the origin and radiation of the major vertebrate clades. The evolutionary roles of behavior, development, continental drift, and mass extinctions are compared with the importance of variation and natural selection that were emphasized by Darwin.

The book is extensively illustrated, showing major transitions from fish to amphibians, dinosaurs to birds, and land mammals to whales. No work since Simpson's Major Features of Evolution has attempted such a broad study of the patterns and forces of evolutionary change. Undergraduate students taking a general or advanced course on evolution, as well as graduate students and professionals in evolutionary biology and paleontology, will find this book of great interest.