Extinction

General Coverage

Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck – David Raup

The classic. Start with this one, every time.

Catastrophes and Other Calamities – Tony Hallam

Probably the best I've encountered in terms of presenting the pertinent information across the board, rather than selecting evidence to support a particular causal hypothesis (like most of the titles to the right). This is the only book that discusses anoxia, volcanism, methane and bolide impact more or less even-handedly. Perhaps Hallam is just a little unfair in not considering the possibility of bolide events towards the end of the Devonian, but that is all.

Technical and Semi-Technical Papers

include Hallam & Wignall, Kauffman & Walliser, some of Macleod's stuff

Particular Extinctions

End-Permian

Rivers in Time – Peter Ward

I had a tough time with this one and, despite having read it quite recently, can now recall nothing beyond some of the first-hand field anecdotes.

When Life Nearly Died – Michael Benton

Discusses the methane-clathrate hypothesis in depth. Some good stuff in here but I found the fact-hypothesis-speculation continuum to be more blurred than is prudent.

End-Cretaceous

T. rex and the Crater of Doom – Walter Alvarez

Promulgates the now rather discredited idea that the end-Cretaceous event was more or less totally caused by a bolide impact.

Evolutionary Catastrophes – Vincent Courtellot

Rightly refutes the idea of bolide impact as a general cause of extinction events, and of the end-Cretaceous event specifically, but stretches the facts a little too far in claiming a "near perfect" correlation between extinction events and volcanism. The lack of reference citations is inexcusable and renders the book useless for serious study. There are also some peculiarities which cast serious doubt on the whole thing, such as the author's interchangable use of Cenozoic (an era) and Tertiary (a period).