This book reconstructs the stories of the discoveries of the main deposits of fossil fish in all continents, and is primarily written for fossil enthusiasts, paleontological specialists, and those interested in the history of paleontological science. It offers a selection of over 160 locations that have yielded—often initially in a completely fortuitous manner—remains of fossil fish from the 4th millennium BC to the mid-twentieth century and provides a description of the people who made the first discoveries, the history of the research, a brief geological and paleontological description, and an essential bibliography for a deeper understanding of each covered topic.

Luigi Capasso has a degree in Medicine and Surgery (Florence, 1980) and a specialization in Orthopedics and Skeletal Biology; he was (currently retired) a full professor of Physical Anthropology at the University of Chieti and Pescara (Italy). He has held anthropology course at the universities of Florence, Naples, Chieti, Granada, and has over 350 publications in his own research area in which he has also published numerous volumes and treatises, and receive international prizes (i.e., Wellcome Medal for Anthropology as Applied to Medical Problems of the Royal Anthropological Institute, London 2004). He founded (1994) and directs for 30 years the University Museum of Chieti (Icom, Unesco affiliates). Beyond his professional commitments, he has devoted all of his free time to studying fossil fish, mainly Pycnodonts.