Republished in English for the first time, the Atlas of Plants and Animals in Baltic Amber by Wolfgang Weitschat and Wilfried Wichard (Friedrich Pfeil, 75 euros, $98) is a rich catalogue of the flora and fauna that have been preserved in Baltic amber. It guides us through the history and geography of petrified resin and discusses the geology of amber. This spider is one hundreds of life-forms captured in amber that illustrate the book.