In Catastrophes and Lesser Calamities, the renowned geologist Tony Hallam reviews the cataclysmic events that have affected the career of life over the past half-billion years. Not concerned to promote a single hypothesis, he reviews a range of possible causes for mass extinctions, both individually and acting in concert. David J. Bottjer urged, "If you have been aware of the importance of mass extinctions in the evolution of life but need to know more about what caused them, then this is the book for you." Hallam is also the coauthor of the definitive treatise Mass Extinctions and Their Aftermath.