As I am not at all familiar with plants I will leave this theme aside. Even so you should always remember: Paleontology = Paleozoology + Paleobotany , not only because some organisms can hardly be pressed into one of these groups they should never be strictly kept apart. Well, because I can imagine the physiology of animals much better I specialised on thelatter ones, especially on vertebrates. Not for the dinosaurs as you may suggest taking a look towards my collection of Jurassic-Park-artifacts, but because I like complex puzzles and to reconstruct complete sceletons or ecologies from just a handfull of bones is one of the most demanding puzzles I can think of. Furthermore I found the variability among complex organisms much less confusing than for instance in inoceramids (some kind of cretaceous bivalvs) whoms variety in forms is only understood by specialists. OK, they are leading macrofossils for the upper cretaceous but without detailed studies of their morphology you won't get access to this informations.
I am planning to fill these pages with basic infos on some of my favorite animal-groups, but until then I must revise you to my paleo-link-list.Invertebrates
All animals without a corda are included in the group of "invertebrates". However, note that this is of course not a monophyletic group. Their difference is only a functional one.
The most prominent invertebrates are algae, sponge, corals, trilobites, crustaceans, mollusks, brachiopods and echinoderms.
To learn more about these consult Clarkson's "Invertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution".Vertebrates
Vertebrates are those animals with a corda dorsalis (a backbone, if you want so). They seem to proof as a monophylletic group and best literature for introduction may be Benton's "Vertebrate Palaeontology".Tools
Colorful pencils, notebook (not the electronic one!), magnifiing glasses and a geologist's hammer should not be missed in anyones backpack (except for hydrogeologists, I've never seen one handling a forgecraft).A sediment-hammer is of great value in shisted rocks (Solnhofener Plattenkalk!!) and bringing up a chissel will show its advantages in time, too.
A geological map and a handbook for minarals and fossils should find its place, too. (Don't tell me you would know all of them! Sometimes everybody stumbles over some misleading rock-structures.)A medium-sized, medium-soft brush can have a great cleaning effect on altered marls or sandstones (but do not brush away all the outcrop!).
Of course do not forget about the chloric acid (HCl, 4%) as it is the ultimate proof for the existence of calcite.