Reviews (84)

Very Very cool book
My son loves dinosaurs but had outgrown alot of the kids books out there. This is a great book for older kids and adults will like it too.

Great eye candy for your inner child, and for your other children if you decide to share
This book produced much glee in my house the day it arrived, gasps of joy and amazement, awe and delight. One of these days I'll let my kids look at it, too. I enjoyed it so much that I promptly bought Sabuda's "Alice in Wonderland," "The Wizard of Oz," and another Encylopedia Prehistorica volume, "Sharks And Other Sea Monsters." They're all sensational.
Awesome gift for kids and adults alike!
This book is just simply amazing. When you open each page you cannot stop but to wonder how on earth do they figure out how to not only design and engineer its illustrations but also how to implement it and still manage to sell it at a reasonable price. The content is very informative and educational. Definitely something that one can re-read with interest for many years. It also works great as a reference book for children and it could very easily be helpful for one of their school projects. Speaking of school, instead of getting a mug as an appreciation book for your kid's school teacher, consider offering this book. It is money well spent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    2. Children's 9-12 - Nature / Guide Books    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Dictionaries    6. Dictionaries, Juvenile    7. Dinosaurs    8. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    9. Fossils    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Specimens    12. Toy and movable books    13. Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Dinosaurs   

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    3. Paleoecology    4. Paleontology    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Triassic    8. Palaeontology    9. Popular science   

Reviews (6)

A delightful saurian romp
What would have happened if the K-T had never happened? What if the dinosaurs and their relatives had continued their succesful lineage and continued to gradually evolve? Renowned paleontologist Dougal Dixon delves headfirst into this interesting topic. We start our tour with a brief history on the different theories of the extinction of the dinosaurs. We then move into the present-day dinosaurs. We start in the steamy jungles of Africa, where we see "arbrosaurs" (tree-climbing dinosaurs) eating insects and wasps in the canopy. We then see bizarre giraffe-like creatures on what would be the African Savannah, descended from pterosaurs. In the desert, there are "sandles" a subterrenian predator, and Wyrms, which kill and eat small mammals. We move up to North America, in which we see "gestalts" a social dinosaur, with a queen, soldiers, and workers. We see agile brickets (descended from hadrosaurs) and the zwims, aquatic mammals. We move into the tundra, where giant flightless birds (trombles) migrate to breed. Smaller birds (whiffles) follow in their wake. In the colder deserts, we see ankylosaur descendants, adapted for colder weather. In the grasslands, we see gazelle-like sprintosaurs and the raptor-like northclaws. Dinosaurs have even colonized the mountains, like the herbivorus balacvlavs, and their predators, the mountain leapers. In South America, we see manatee-like watergulps and scaly gliders in the rainforests. On the pampas, heavily armoured turtosaurs roam, sharing their food with the larger lumbers. In Asia, we see panda-like Taddeys, and Numbskulls (their real name!) on the steppes of the Asian highlands. In Australia, things get really bizarre. We see flamingo-like dinosaurs (cribrums) and dingums, poisonous dinosaurs. In the trees, we see tubbs, a saurian equivalant of the koala. On the offshore islands, we see Seussian wandles, and Kloons, flightless pterasaurs. On the beaches, coconut grabs, amphibious ammonites (much like the swampus of The Future is Wild) and Shorerunners, small flightless pterasaurs which are their predators. There are more creatures, but I won't reveal them all. Get the book and find out about them for yourself!

If this was the Dinosaur Heresis, would it be alien or warm-blooded? That's the question.
Move over, Speculated Dinosaur Project! Long-time time paleomtologist Dougal Dixon has unleashed his view of the Earth right this very second-if the K-T event had not happened, EVER. According to this book, published in the 1980s, the dinosaurs and their relatives would diversify into a varied collection of species that would look as weird as they are magnificent to our very eyeballs. Except our eyeballs would never be able to see them, since we mammals would still remain small (weighing less than 100 killograms)and remain relatively unspecialized.
What if dinosaurs had not died out?
This book by Dougal Dixon asks, 'What would the Earth be like if dinosaurs had not kicked the bucket?'The first chapters deal with evolution in general and with real dinosaurs, where they came from, how they changed and why they might have died out. This is followed by chapters that deal with the different regions of Earth, how they have changed over the millions of years and what the animals are like.Not just dinosaurs either, but also creatures evolved from birds, pterosaurs, sea-reptiles and other animals.As in 'After Man' the whole book has been designed like a non-fiction text book, or a nature guide, but doesn't seem as detailed or as fun.While Dixon's 'The New Dinosaurs' seems slightly more realistic than 'After Man' which had such weird creatures as parashrews, it also seems to have less imagination. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Fantasy    3. General    4. Science    5. Vertebrate Paleontology   

Reviews (15)

"poorest book in paleo history!!!!!!!!"
This was a poor book that seemed like it was not even useful.The book was not that informational, only in a few parts.I do not reccomend this book to anybody!

Meg...BIG AND BAD
...yup, read this before you go to the beach... "Megladon" Enlightens in a Big Way
I have had the opportunity to hunt with Mark on several occasions in Florida and found him to be a wealth of knowlege regarding fossils.He has taken the time to put much of this knowlege into the framework of an educational and enlightening text.The book "Megladon" brings his casual, conversational approach to fascinating levels for interested readers.As a graduate from the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, I found this book to be delightful to read, informative in it's scope, and very thorough in it's coverage of this large predator.The photographic documentation was awesome, and the additional information regarding various other fossil forms was an added bonus.This book is a "must" for the serious collector.I enjoyed "Fossiling in Florida" very much, but "Megladon" tops my list! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Nature / Dinosaurs    2. Science/Mathematics    3. Carcharocles megalodon    4. Dinosaurs    5. Fossils    6. Marine Life    7. Nature    8. Prehistoric animals    9. Sharks    10. Teeth, Fossil   

Reviews (7)

Quick read, yet fun to look at
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I saw this book on Amazon. Nonetheless, I'm very pleased with it. Granted, it does not cover every single dinosaur, but rather those that appeared in the series (WWD, Prehistoric Beasts, Monsters Before Dinosaurs, and the Nigel Marven episodes). It would have been better had there been more dinosaurs, but that may not have been practical or cost-effective for the publishers. It would also have been nice to have seen the creatures from the Land of Lost Monsters program, which has a few significant beasts not covered here. Given that, they do include a good variety, enough to provide a robust picture story of life on Earth. If only it included more...

The Book that Completes the Walking With... Series
After watching the Walking With... series and reading the books that correspond to the documentaries, this book sums it all up into one book. They take almost every animal from the series and gives them each a page or two about that certain animal. They even take animals from the Walking With... specials as well so those programs are important too since they cover animals that the original series do not.
Good, but needs work.
I like the book, but there are a few problems. The information is good except that a few of the human-creature comparisons are off.For instance, it said Meganeura on p34 had a 2.5ft wingspan.Compared with the 6ft man, it looked like it had a 5ft wingspan. Another example is that the Megaloceros on p196 is supposed to be 7ft tall at the shoulder.Compared with the man, it is around 4ft tall.In addition, I noticed that it said Othnielia was 13ft long.I looked at one of my other books and on several websites and they all said 4ft; this is a significant difference! Finally, I think it would have been better if they had gotten all of their silhouettes for the human-creature comparisons from the computer-generated animals. For example, I saw that the silhouette for the Tarbosaurus comparison is from an illustration I have seen in many other books. It would have been okay except that it was standing upright, which is generally not in keeping with modern restorations. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    2. Animals, Fossil    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    5. Fossils    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Nature    9. Paleontology    10. Paleontology (Young Adult)    11. Dinosaurs    12. Mammals, Fossil    13. Science / Paleontology    14. Vertebrates, Fossil   

Reviews (12)

Chased By Sea Monsters!
Face-to-face with sharks that can bite whales in half? Swim with armor-plated fish so powerful that they can bite through chain mail? Dive into the midst of a feeding frenzy? Do all this and live to write about it?
Sea Monsters
This is a great book to go with a great documentary. It talks of top seven predators that lived in the oceans of the past in seven different time periods, like the massive squid-like Cameroceras (which would have made modern squid squirm helplessly), the bone-crushing Dunkleosteus (which makes piranhas seem like minnows), the largest ichthyosaur ever -- Cymbospondylus (which luckily feeds mostly on fish), the biggest carnivore ever -- Liopleurodon (of which the only protection availiable is a chemical detterant, if humans were to venture into such waters), the pack-hunting Tylosaurus (which could have eaten a Tyrannosaurus), the most vicious whale ever -- Basilosaurus (compare to modern baleenwhales) and the eighteen meter shark -- Charcharodon (which would make it's modern cousin the great white shark look like a mere goldfish). There is one flaw, however. The two authors of this book have varying tones of writing. One writes it in an encyclopaedic way, while the other writes as if it is a story. (Like the Walking With Dinosaurs and Walking With Beasts books). Both do have a sense of humor which shows in their infoboxes on how to survive in the waters of the time period in question, as well as the hazards there.

Ichthysoaurs, mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, oh my!
Written as a companion to the BBC television documentary series, this beautiful book takes the reader on an illustrated journey thru the prehistoric oceans.The book highlights seven different time periods (in seven different chapters) in the Earth's past, and shows the sea creatures living at those times; emphasizing those with the biggest jaws and their respective prey.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    2. Extinct animals    3. Marine Life    4. Marine mammals, Fossil    5. Marine reptiles    6. Marine reptiles, Fossil    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Sea monsters    10. Nature / Marine Life   

Reviews (1)

Indispensible for the specialist
For palaeontologists with an interest in sauropods, this volume is simply and unequivocally indispensible.Matt Wedel's chapter on postcranial skeletal pneumaticity is a particular highlight, but most of the papers are very valuable.The contributions are on the whole more substantial than those in the recent Carpenter and Tidwell volume on the same subject, "Thunder Lizards", being mostly written by sauropod specialists.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy    2. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    3. Evolution    4. General    5. Life Sciences - Biology - General    6. Morphology    7. Paleobiology    8. Paleontology    9. Saurischia    10. Science    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Palaeontology    13. Science / Biology   

Reviews (6)

A very complete and detailed book
This is one of the best dinosaur book I have ever read. This book is probabley the biggest and most detailed dinosaur reseach book out there. It includes all the well known dinosaurs, and many new finds and less famous beasts. But this book does not include only dinos. It branches out into creatures that lived before the dinosaurs, as well as the beasts that roamed the oceans and skies during the dinosaur era. All the facts are well put together and very accurate, as well as put into a format that is very easy to read. The illustrations are not as stunning as the ones in "A Field Guide to Dinosaurs" but they do portray an accurate picture of these amazing creatures. If you don't own this book, buy it. You won't regret it.

Where is the phylogeny?
This book has useful information and wonderful drawings (even if the coloration and poses seem a bit fanciful). The factfiles with genus names work well, except the maps with highlighted fossile sites. Continental arrangements during the animals' life are shown in faint outline. Most readers know what the world looks like today, but don't know continental position in the Mesozoic. I would toss the contemporary map.
A real 5-star plus! The greatest of dinosaur gems!
This book rocks! My library has that book and I check it out from time to time and this book should be one of the most cherished and best loved of all dinosaur books with lots of cool dinosaur illustrations, fun facts, and so much more. For over 160 million years, these giant brutes ruled the earth and still do within the pages of this book and all other books just like it. A great literature to have in your home as well as in the library too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaures    2. Dinosaurs    3. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    4. General    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Nature / Dinosaurs   

Editorial Review

Dinosaurs fascinate and captivate us, yet we really know relatively little about them--and thatonly from a fragmentary fossil record painstakingly reconstructed by paleontologists. Read more

Reviews (8)

Dinosaur Lives:Unearthing an Evolutionary Saga
Dinosaur Lives: Unearthing an Evolutionary Saga written by John R. Horner is a well-written account of paleontological fieldwork told in an engaging style.This book is the continuation of the book Digging Dinosaurs one of the author's previous books. Excellent, if sometimes wordy sequel to "Digging Dinosaurs"
Dinosaur Lives introduces the lay reader (that would be you and me) to a number of exciting ideas.The book provides us with an update to Horner's field work since he wrote "Digging Dinosaurs," but it also delves deeper into some of the bigger ideas concerning dinosaurs.A large portion of the book is devoted to speculation about the behavior of dinosaurs, especially the raising of young and herd/pack associations.What interested me most, however, is Horner's deconstruction of Linnean taxonomy, and the description of cladistics as a more powerful tool to look at relationships between living and extinct creatures.For those of us raised on the idea of speciation, this is powerful stuff.You may find, as I did, that light bulbs start popping in your head as you realize that the very way you think about a subject can severely limit your ability to perceive new ideas. Extremely informative while remaining captivating...
Mr. Horner has made an extraordinary accomplishment with 'Diggin Dinosaurs,' as it is able to present relative information regarding the topic at hand in a manner to be easily read by the masses and hold thereader's attention.His ability to stimulate the imagination with hisillustrative speach and diction is quite amazing, as is his ability todistill the necessary information from the vast amounts of data that isavailable for analysis.An amazing breakthrough to be certain. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    3. Fossils    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Paleontology    7. Science    8. Vertebrate Paleontology   

Subjects:  1. Alberta    2. Cretaceous    3. Dinosaur Provincial Park    4. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    5. Paleontology    6. Paleontology, Stratigraphic    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Dinosaurs & the prehistoric world    10. Palaeontology   

Reviews (5)

Predatory Dinosaurs of the World
"Predatory Dinosaurs of the World:A Complete Illustrated Guide" written and drawn by Gregory S. Paul is a complete guide up and to the point of publication (1988) but it is fastly becoming outdated.But, nevertheless, it is a wonderful book with illustrations of predatory dinosaurs.
One of the greatest dinosaur-dinosaur art books existence
Greg Paul is the greatest dinosaur artist. He inspired a whole generation of dinosaur artists including myself. When I first found his book and saw it's astounding, action-packed illustrations my art would never be the same again. His art is more accurate, more dramatic, and more breathtaking than any other dinosaur artist alive today. For thirty years he has set the bar, and for thirty years every dinosaur artist young and old have tried but failed, to put it any higher.That's without saying his book, the PREDATORY DINOSAURS of the WORLD, that did the same for all dinosaur-books there after.In my opinion, my small dim-witted opinion,is one of the greatest dinosaur books to exist today. The only thing that keeps it from being the greatest is it's out-dated by little over ten years. Maybe someday Greg Paul will update P.D.O.T.W. and will showcase gigantosaurus, sinosauropteryx, chacharodotosaurus, majungatholus, neovenator, afrovenator, and so many others that I can't even think of at this point. Let finish with saying that if you enjoy dinosaur art, dinosaurs or paleontology you're going to flip out when you get this book.

A modern classic
Once, I was just a kid obsessed with Jurassic Park. That's as in touch with dinosaurs as I got. Then, on a search for information on Velociraptor, I discovered this book at my public library.And it got me hooked.PDWgot me into dinosaurs for real, and ever since I have been fascinated bythem, a serious field of interest for me.Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    3. General    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Predatory animals    6. Sociology    7. Vertebrate Paleontology   

Reviews (5)

An engrossing and informative volume for laymen or experts
This volume is the best one I've found on prehistoric creatures. Having always been fascinated by them, I wanted as an adult to find something to broaden the base I'd built as a kid obsessed with Tyrannosaurus and trilobites. Though I'm far from a paleontologist or even a biologist (my own training is in anthropology and linguistics) I find this book a pleasure to browse and consult.
Engaging at first, but then the flaws ...
This book looked great at first, but then, on closer inspection, the drawings are second-rate, the information is thin, and the inaccuracies mount. Yet, there are no real alternatives that seek to comprehensivelycatalogue ancient life. I'd still buy it, but my enthusiasm has waned.

On the second thought...
Several months after acquiring the book I leaf through it and wonder how I could have given it such a high rating as I did. It has flaws throughout! Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Dinosaurs    3. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    4. Encyclopedias    5. Life Sciences - Ecology    6. Nature    7. Nature / Field Guide Books    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Prehistoric animals    10. Reference    11. Vertebrate Paleontology    12. Vertebrates, Fossil    13. Dinosaurs & the prehistoric world    14. Nature / Dinosaurs    15. Reference works   

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    2. Encyclopedias    3. Nature    4. Prehistoric Anthropology    5. Reference    6. Reference And Information Services    7. Dinosaurs & the prehistoric world    8. Reference / General    9. Reference works   

Reviews (1)

Dinosaurs the textbook
I have used two editions of this book as one of the texts for a general vertebrate paleontology course.The class,organismic biology majors, with some secondary science, PE., elementary education and geography majors, liked the clear writing, statement of objectives, and reviews of each chapter.Diagrams were also clear. It perhaps needs more background on plate tectonics, stratigraphy/sedimentation and extinction/bird origins. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    3. Fossils    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Textbooks    7. Nature / Dinosaurs    8. Palaeozoology   

Reviews (8)

Best dinosaur book I have ever read
This is hands down the best dinosaur book out there. Even I, an avid dino artist and researcher, was astounded by the incredible illustrations and the fanciful descriptions of the dinosaurs lives. I am so glad that somebody has finally stopped drawing pictures of featherless raptors, and realized that these amazing creatures weren't just giant green lizards. I love the way that Luis Rey (the artist of the book)incorporates birdlike qualities into the dinosaurs that he draws and paints. I mean, his raptors look more like giant turkeys with teeth and claws than the sterotypical green swamp beasts. I also thought that the little charcoal sketches of the anatomy and habits of the dinos was a very neat addition. But I have not even touched on the actual writing in the book. At the beginning there is a very interesting preface that provides an overview of dinosaurs as well as an explanation of their evolutionary ties to birds. The whole book is set up as a field guide, detailing the lives and habits of different dinosaurs as if you could travel back to their time. I like the fact that the author gives the dinosaurs many fanciful habits and features, not like conventional books where they tell you about when it was discovered, how big it was, blah, blah, blah.... These strange and wonderful adaptations that they give to the dinosaurs in this book are only educated guesses, but they give the book flair and uniqueness that sets it apart from the crowd.
Best dinosaur book I have ever read
This is hands down the best dinosaur book out there. Even I, an avid dino artist and researcher, was astounded by the incredible illustrations and the fanciful descriptions of the dinosaurs lives. I am so glad that somebody has finally stopped drawing pictures of featherless raptors, and realized that these amazing creatures weren't just giant green lizards. I love the way that Luis Rey (the artist of the book)incorporates birdlike qualities into the dinosaurs that he draws and paints. I mean, his raptors look more like giant turkeys with teeth and claws than the sterotypical green swamp beasts. I also thought that the little charcoal sketches of the anatomy and habits of the dinos was a very neat addition. But I have not even touched on the actual writing in the book. At the beginning there is a very interesting preface that provides an overview of dinosaurs as well as an explanation of their evolutionary ties to birds. The whole book is set up as a field guide, detailing the lives and habits of different dinosaurs as if you could travel back to their time. I like the fact that the author gives the dinosaurs many fanciful habits and features, not like conventional books where they tell you about when it was discovered, how big it was, blah, blah, blah.... These strange and wonderful adaptations that they give to the dinosaurs in this book are only educated guesses, but they give the book flair and uniqueness that sets it apart from the crowd.
Buy it for the sketches.
Colorful and imaginative artwork set within a well designed format make this book standout in a crowded category. I found Rey's smaller "field" sketches of dinosaur behavior more interesting than his polished color illustrations. Even with their inventiveness, the sketches seem more like the observations of a naturalist, and as such support the books' unique "Field Guide" concept. In my opinion, the color illustrations make too much use of extreme fish-eyed foreshortening which tends to push the subject matter into a pop-culture presentation. Small matter, because the entire book is well done, and should appeal to anyone who enjoys dinosaurs, illustration, or book design. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    3. Fossils    4. Mesozoic    5. Nature    6. Paleontology    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Science / Paleontology   

Reviews (3)

A dry first look at dinosaurs
This book was not nearly as entertaining as some of the other "idiot's guides" that I have read in the past.The book described many of the species of dinosaur, but illustrations were few and far between.Further, the information was presented in a rather dry manner, compared to some of the other books in this line.I also noticed several typos, which took away from the legitimacy of the book.There is some good information in the book, but I feel it could have been presented in more entertaining fashion.

A Good Introduction; Succeeds at Objective-Some Weakness
This book is easy to read and is packed with plenty of accurate information.It is up to date and balanced in its treatment of current theories and knowledge.Its stated purpose is to be an introduction to thesubject for parents and kids of all ages and it certainly succeeds in doingthis. There are however a few weaknesses.There are someoversimplifications, such a stating that Iguanodon walked on two legs likea kangaroo. This was corrected in a later chapter. There are also someerrors, such as a photo of a Pteranodon labeled Archaeopteryx and a marginnote pertaining to computers.The style gets in the way, occasionally. The humor made part of the raptor chapter somewhat difficult to follow. Theglossary and appendices are helpful.Overall, a good book for anintroduction or a refresher on the subject.

A great introduction for readers of all ages!
This is the perfect book for parents with dino-loving kids. They can spenddays and days reading about them, but if we want to keep up, we needsomething more organized and direct to read. My son was never so impressedwith me as when I first identified his toy apatosaurus without his help!That moment alone made the book worth reading. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Paleozoology    7. Dinosaurs & the prehistoric world    8. Reference / General   

Subjects:  1. Aging    2. Anatomy    3. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    4. Evolution    5. Infancy    6. Paleontology    7. Saurischia    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Palaeontology   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (2)

great dinosaur book for technical readers
As a student of vertebrate paleontology, I find this book easy to read and extremely detailed. I loved this book and it featured two or three times the information as other dinosaur textbooks such as Dinosaurs: The Textbook, which I also own. I suggest those who want to learn technical knowledge on this subject to buy this book. Because this book is quite expensive I suggest buying it used. My used book was just like new. I have bought many of my dinosaurian books used and all have came in great condition.

Another Dinosaur Textbook?
NOTE: I haven't read this book cover-to-cover (I have a loaner copy from Blackwell), so keep that in mind when reading. Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Fossils    3. Paleontology    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Nature / Dinosaurs    7. Palaeontology   

Reviews (8)

Splendid Overview Of Dinosaur Paleobiology
"The Scientific American book of Dinosaurs" edited by distinguished artist and vertebrate paleontologist Gregory S. Paul is a splendid summary of the current state of knowledge of dinosaurian paleobiology. Although there are a couple of classic articles included in this volume, most notably Robert Bakker's "Dinosaur Renaissance", published in Scientific American in the mid 1970's - which sets the tone of much of the book's contents - most of the text is comprised of recent Scientific American articles or new essays commissioned for this volume. The first two chapters are an overview of the history of dinosaur paleontology and the history of reconstructing dinosaurs from both an artistic and scientific perspective. Chapter Three contains several articles on dinosaur systematics, emphasizing the relationships between living dinosaurs (birds) and their nearest cousins, small predatory theropods such as Velociraptor and Deinonychus, and their larger cousins, the tyrannosaurids, most notably Albertosaurus, and of course, Tyrannosaurus. It closes with an elegant essay on the origin of birds and their flight by distinguished paleobiologists Kevin Padian and Luis Chiappe. Chapter Four is an overview of the physical geography and climate of the middle and late Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs were the dominant creatures on land. Chapter Five delves into intriguing reconstructions of dinosaur behavior, from locomotion, and food gathering to nesting and the rearing of young. Chapter Six contains several essays on dinosaur bioenergetics, exploring issues such as how rapidly they grew and whether they were - or were not warm blooded creatures. Chapter Seven is devoted to the demise of non-avian dinosaurs at the end of the Mesozoic, focusing on extraterrestrial impacts as the likely "smoking gun" for their extinction. Finally, in Chapter Eight, Gregory Paul offers some interesting speculations on the future of dinosaur paleobiology. This is absolutely a must read for anyone fascinated with dinosaurs, replete with many first-rate drawings and color plates of dinosaurs and their world.

Nice art, terrible science
If you're looking for a rehash of a few good old articles, plus a set of new articles that are in general of very poor quality, and some decent artwork (most old, some new) then this book is fine for you. The Scientific American Book of Dinosaurs
The Scientific American Book of Dinosaurs edited by Gregory S. Paul is a book that combined with the essays that preceed its chapters bring the most current knowledge about dinosaurs to light.Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    3. Fossils    4. Paleontology    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Vertebrate Paleontology    8. Science / Paleontology   

Reviews (1)

WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD YOU ABOUT DINOSAUR REPRODUCTION!
The book is not written for dinosaur loving children.A background in general science, anatomy, biology, and/or zoology would be useful in understanding the astonishing wealth of information contained. That shouldnot scare inquirers away from this opus magnus. Furthermore, Carpenter'soccassional tongue-in-cheek humor imparts a very special flavor to thewriting. In my mind,this beautiful volume would be worth the price just forits profusion of well-done illustrations, photos, and captions. But that'sjust icing on the cake. We learn the history of dinosaur egg finds, how onestudies every detail of the egg fossil (wonderfully illustrated with photosand drawings), how the eggshell formed inside a dinosaur, by what means thedino embryo took in air and effectively expelled carbon-dioxide from withinthe eggshell, and even speculate on how the dino chick may have escaped theegg.Learn how to examine a dinosaur egg fragment and detect whether anembryo actually developed within it. Carpenter explains how dinosaur nestswere built and 'designed' to incubate fertile eggs. Why is a baby dinosaur'cute' by our perceptions, and possibly to its parents?Facts, photos, andpaintings make the answer cuddlingly clear. Along with the abundance ofsuperb black & white figures, illustrations, and photos, are over adozen full-color plates, including ten life restorations by some of ourmost scientific and talented dinosaur artists. This volume is surely atreasure to those of us who seek a deeper insight into the mysteries ofdinosaur life (and death). One such tantalizing mystery might be summed upas, "But how did dinosaurs DO IT?" Carpenter doesn't beg thequestion.He ventures into it with careful observations and analysis basedon both behavior and form of contemporary animals and known dinosauriananatomy. The answers should prove reasonable to his scientific colleagues.So filled is this book with interesting items that one could almost saythere's something for everybody. On the far side, imagine some 'Good OldBoy' that doesn't 'give a hang' about science, picking the book up tobrouse the strikingly beautiful dinosaur life illustrations. "Wow!" he croaks, "Forget about Tyrannosaurus rex!It's'CARNOTAURUS SEX!'"[The reference is to an utterly dramatic andhighly colorful life restoration by artist Luis V. Rey, revealing animposimg Carnotaurus pair 'going at it' while their thunderous groans ofecstacy freak out the Mesozoic neighborhood! Startled by those sounds, aflock of at least 40 winged reptiles (Pterosaurs) bolts skyward from theground.The dinosaur couple copulates, transfixed, among appropriatelyphallic plants. Some will buy the book just for that one startling scene.Yet, it is far more valuable as an adventure in learning, including itsvery thoughtful discourse on dinosaur intercourse.A scientific adventure. A 'Calvin and Hobbes' day-dream? For real. Get it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaur    2. Dinosaurs    3. Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    4. Eggs    5. Fossils    6. Infancy    7. Nature    8. Paleontology    9. Reproduction    10. Science    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Vertebrate Paleontology    13. Palaeontology