Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Tyrant King (Life of the Past) by Peter Larson & Kenneth Carpenter (Editors) Hardcover: 435 pages Indiana University Press ISBN-10: 0253350875 ISBN-13: 978-0253350879 With its massive head, enormous jaws, and formidable teeth. Tyrannosaurus-rex has long been the young person's favorite carnivore/dinosaur of the Mesozoic. T. rex has also certainly not been ignored by the scientific community, as this new collection amply demonstrates. Scientists explore such questions as why T. rex had such small forelimbs: how the dinosaur moved: what bone pathologies tell us about life in the Cretaceous: and whether T. rex was a predator, a scavenger, or both. There are reports on newly discovered skeletons, on variation and sexual dimorphism, and how the big beasts chewed. Everything you wanted to know about Tyrannosaurus rex but were afraid to ask! The authors yield a wealth of new information about one of the dinosaur world's most famous carnivores. An enclosed CD-ROM presents additional photographic and filmed reconstructions of the mighty beast. Thanks to Don Glut who mentions your PT editor several times when discussing T. rex toys and collectibles. Tyrannosaurus rex is probably the most popular dinosaur, the star of countless Hollywood monster movies. In reality this dinosaur was no monster, but an animal trying to meet the same survival challenges faced by other species, both living and extinct. The authors do a good job explaining how this happened some 65 million years ago.
A History of Paleontology Illustration (Life of the Past) by Jane P. Davidson Hardcover: 217 pages Indiana University Press ISBN10: 0253351758 ISBN-13: 978-0253351753 Davidson is Professor of Art History at the University of Nevada. Reno and writes as an art historian in this book. She traces the history of paleontological illustration from the 15th century to the present. She combines discussions of the images with assessments of the artists, the main subject of the book is scientific illustration, and only delves into "popular" illustrations such as those found in adult & children's textbooks, museum and other public displays, and film. The entire book is a very cursory overview with little detail. The six chapter book covers the entire 20th century in the final chapter which is hardly adequate. Both a history of science and a history of representation, the book starts off well but perhaps should have saved the twentieth century for a second book. If you were new to the subject, this would he a great introduction but I cannot really recommend it for seasoned paleo-art fans.
The Jehol Fossils: The Emergence of Feathered Dinosaurs, Beaked Birds and Flowering Plants by Pei-ji Chen . Yuan-qing Wang, Yuan Wang & Mee-Mann Chang. Hardcover: 208 pages Academic Press; ISBN10: 0123741734 ISBN-13: 978-0123741738 No other single volume reference to the Jehol site and its fossils exists and nowhere is there such a collection of line photos of the fossils concerned. This book has pieced together the most up-to-date information on the Jehol Biota, a place that has shown the world some of the most astonishing fossil finds including the first complete skeleton of Archaepteryx in 1861. four-winged dinosaurs- many feathered ones, the first beaked bird, the first plants with flowers and fruits, and thousands of species of invertebrates. The book is lavishly illustrated with nearly 280 illustrations/photographs. A fascinating and beautiful full color book.
Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History by Xiaoming Wang & Richard H. Tedford. Mauricio Anton (Illustrator). Hardcover: 232 pages Columbia University Press ISBN10: 0231135289 ISBN13: 978-0231 135283 The authors have spent the past 20 years studying the evolutionary history of the family Canidae and both are highly respected for this. Combining their research with Mauricio Anton's impeccable reconstructions of both extinct and extant species. Wang and Tedford present a remarkably detailed and nuanced portrait of the origin and evolution of "man's best friend" over the past 40 million years. The authors cull their history from the most recent scientific research conducted on the vast collections of the American Museum of Natural History and other leading institutions. The fossil record of the Canidae. particularly those from their birth place in North America, are the strongest of their kind among known groups of carnivorans. Such a rich fossil record and wonderfully detailed evolutionary history provides access to a natural history that is not possible with many other groups of camivorans (a great contrast to felids). An unprecedented reference for anyone who loves and is fascinated with dogs (and what normal person isn't?) Highly recommended. This is a great and original contribution to paleontology, bringing together all known information about canid evolution into one book, plus I say buy any book containing Mauricio's masterful art!
If you're like me and use a dinosaur themed calendar each year. The 2009 Pop-Up Dinosaur Calendar is about the only game in town and has been for a few years now. Not that this is a bad thing, Greg Paul's accurate and beautifully colorful dinosaurs look extra great in 3-D. but it would just be nice to have a variety of dinosaur calendars to choose from each year like we used to. Again this year. Greg is strangely not credited anywhere on the entire calendar for his art. Affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, the calendar sells for $4.99
Dinosaurs in the Round Hardcover: 24 pages Random House Books for Young Readers ISBN10: 037584368X 1SBN13: 978-0375843686 The pop-up dioramas in this unique, freestanding carousel book capture the changing atmosphere and dinosaurs of the Triassic. Jurassic, and Cretaceous eras the Age of Dinosaurs. Over 15 species of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals appear in museum quality illustrations by renowned
paleo-artist Luis V. Rey. Complete with a 24 page booklet providing background information on the environment and animals in each diorama. Dinosaurs in the Round will please young readers and old alike.