Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters was written as a response to
Duane Gish's 1995 book
Evolution: The Fossils Still Say No! It is dedicated to
Niles Eldredge and
Stephen Jay Gould to recognize their contributions to the fields of
paleontology and
evolutionary biology. The foreword, written by
Michael Shermer, is titled
Why People Do Not Accept Evolution. The book is divided into two sections. In section one Prothero provides a detailed description of
evolution and its relationship to the study of biology. The second section provides a distinct discussion of the fossil record. In a review of the book
Peter Dodson says "Prothero points out that the
evolution of horses, elucidated since the 1870s, remains one of the finest demonstrations of evolutionary change over time." Prothero is well prepared to cover the topic due to his knowledge of the fossil record, geology, biogeography, embryology, contemporary
abiogenetic theory and Biblical origins. One example of the compelling presentations in the book is Prothero's illustrated discussion of
tiktaalik, otherwise known as the "fish with legs", which includes a
cladogram that clearly shows where it fits in relation to other organisms. ==Reviews==