Dinosaur Hunters: Eccentric Amateurs and Obsessed Professionals - Softcover

Spalding, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1559585900 ISBN 13: 9781559585903

Publisher: Prima Lifestyles, 1994

Synopsis

Journeying from the beginnings of the scientific search for fossils in the 1800s to today's latest discoveries, a history of dinosaur paleontology presents lively anecdotes about some of the colorful characters dedicated to the pursuit of the ancient reptiles

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

Solid and engrossing history of collecting the Big Ones (and their little brethren), by a science writer and museum advisor. The tale hatches in the 17th century, when Robert Plot, antiquarian and naturalist, published the first description of dinosaur bones and the first crackpot theory of their origins (that God implanted fossils as ornaments, subterranean flowers of sorts). As natural history flourished in England and on the Continent, more remains came to light, most intriguingly those of Archaeopteryx, the winged reptile (leading T.H. Huxley, 130 years ago, to propose the still-hot theory that dinosaurs and birds are closely related). Some hilarious misrepresentations ensued at first: Dinosaurs were depicted as fat, logy, lumbering beasts; on museum reconstructions, Iguanodon's claw migrated from nose to foot before winding up where it belongs, on the hand. In admirable detail, Spalding covers the great unearthing on every continent, as exact taxonomic and anatomic knowledge replaced wide-eyed fancy. Properly, he concentrates on North America, burial chamber of T. rex, Triceratops, and other popular favorites. Memorable characters turn up: Barnum Brown, the Einstein of fossil hunters; Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, who battled one another for bones throughout several decades across the American West. Readers familiar with these legendary figures will welcome Spalding's rich presentation of paleontology on less frequented shores, including Mongolia and China. The quest goes on: new dinos still crop up, most recently the biggest of them all, Seismosaurus, 140 feet and 100 tons of thunder. Another fine entry in the jammed dino-book field (which now surely qualifies as a full-blown craze: what hath Spielberg wrought?). (Thirty photos and maps--not seen) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal

Like an ongoing detective story, this fascinating and detailed survey by museum specialist Spalding details the rewarding global quest for dinosaur fossils over the past 150 years in terms of field techniques, major researchers, significant discoveries, and changing interpretations of these extinct reptiles. From early finds by William Buckland, Gideon Mantell, and Friedrich von Huene to the present hypotheses of Robert Bakker, John Horner, and Dale Russell, Spalding clearly shows that the search for dinosaurs is a human adventure filled with both personal tragedies and scientific surprises. Special attention focuses on Archaeopteryx, Iguanodon , and Coelophysis; the Cope-Marsh rivalry and the incredible successes of the Sternbergs; and explorations in the Nemegt Valley of the Gobi Desert and at Tendaguru in South Africa. Unfortunately, site maps and time charts are not included. Highly recommended for all science collections. --James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Prima Lifestyles
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 1559585900
• ISBN 13: 9781559585903
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 320