Histories of techniques are seldom written and when written commonly are boring, for there is a dearth of dramatic developments to recount or great practitioners to extol. Study of the preparation of fossils is no exception to this generalization, and it is hard to do more than compile anecdotes which may not even form a coherent theme. On the other hand, this approach could be appropriate, for the techniques of preparation are largely spread by word of mouth and in the main consists of improvement by small increments. Paleontological and museum journals devote a bit of space to preparation techniques, but the field does not have a rich literature and more people still learn by doing than by reading.