This Special Issue is comprised of two related components. First, we present a summary of the occurrences of organic-carbon-rich sedimentary sequences in the Phanerozoic geological record and our overview of the evolution and current status of understanding of how they accumulated. We note especially some of the new advances in the kinds of palaeoceanographic proxies that can be used and in the more refined explanations that have emerged from these advances. The second and greater part of the Special Issue consists of fourteen research papers that provide examples of the more detailed analyses of organic-carbon-rich sedimentary sequences that can be achieved with modern techniques and that can be elegantly interpreted by specialists in these techniques.