North America Through Time: A Paleontological History of our Continent By Lynne M Clos, Hardcover: 284 pages, Publisher: Fossil News ISBN1 0:097244 1646 ISBN-13: 978-0972441643. Lynne Clos, editor of Fossils News magazine has produced another fantastic book for paleophiles. Her thick, new, full color coffee table book discusses in 18 chapters all of the prehistoric eras of time in North America from the Precambrian through the Cenozoic. Learn how North America has changed over the millennia, both geologically , and its plants and animals and learn how it came to be in the first place. Each chapter describes in detail what life was like here in each era of time. Discover where can we see fossils today from all of the different epochs across North America, including locations to find them yourself. Includes 200 color photographs of fossils and many computer generated images of the animals and their environment as they most likely appeared millions of years ago when they thrived across our continent. See Lynne Clos' ad in the front of this issue to see how you can order your own copy of this interesting new book postage-free. Ask her and Lynne will even autograph your copy for you. Feathered Dinosaurs by Stephen A Czerkas and Sylvia J Czerkas, Hardback 46 pages, 19.95 Published by The Dinosaur Museum ISBN: 978-1932075-03-8 The highly respected team of Sylvia & Stephen Czerkas of The Dinosaur Museum in Standing, Utah has published a new book in conjunction with its traveling exhibition "Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight." The book is a great supplement to the exhibition but also stands on its own as a fantastic reference on the relationship of birds and dinosaurs for the general public. The book is stuffed with info on the subject and profusely illustrated with full color throughout. You'll see all of Stephen's beautiful feathered dinosaur models and many clear photos • of all the feathered dinosaur fossils plus much more. A number of books have been written on feathered dinosaurs. Even Sylvia Czerkas has written a previous book on the subject. This volume is very visual and easy to understand for the general reader. The exhibit is now at the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa, AZ through September. From November 1, 2008 through February 2009 it will then be at the Fresno Metropolitan museum in Fresno, Ca. The book is available at the exhibit. I'm also told it is available at the Dinosaur Museum web site but I only saw the Czerkas' earlier book on feathered dinosaurs there. Perhaps by the time you read this it will have been added.
The Rise of Animals: Evolution and Diversification of the Kingdom Animalia (Hardcover) by Mikhail A. Fedonkin, James G. Gehling, Kathleen Grey, Guy M. Narbonne, and Patricia Vickers-Rich (Author), with foreword by Arthur C. Clarke List Price: $75.00 Hardcover: 344 pages Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; ISBN-10: 0801886791 ISBN13: 978-0801886799 The Rise of Animals is one of the major events in evolutionary history and this significant reference provides a comprehensive history that fully captures this moment in geologic time. Five paleontologists take us on a journey to the most important fossil sites including the Ediacara Hills of Australia, the Russian taiga and tundra, the deserts of southwest Africa, and the rugged coasts of Newfoundland. Each holds a rich fossil record that reveals how the animal form came into existence and why some groups succeeded while others failed. The authors describe the diversification of the Kingdom Animalia into the familiar body plans of today: from simple animals such as sponges to complex groups like mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms, and chordates that appear explosively in the Cambrian. This exquisitely illustrated book reveals the early moments of an evolutionary process that eventually resulted in our own species. The Rise of Animals shows the general public recent exciting discoveries of fossils with many images hi colors that almost brings to life the appearance of the animals as well-as of the environment in which they lived.
Bonebeds: Genesis, Analysis, and Paleobiological Significance (Paperback) by Raymond R. Rogers (Editor), David A. Eberth (Editor), Anthony R. Fiorillo (Editor) List Price: $30.00 Paperback: 512 pages Publisher: University Of Chicago Press ISBN10: 0226723712 ISBN-13: 9780226723716 The vertebrate fossil record extends back more than 500 million years, and bonebeds, where lies localized concentrations of the skeletal remains of vertebrate animals, help unlock the secrets of this long history. Often spectacularly preserved, bonebeds can reveal more about life histories, ecological associations, and preservation patterns than any single skeleton or bone. For this reason, bonebeds are frequently studied by paleobiologists, geologists, and archaeologists seeking to piece together the vertebrate record. Thirteen respected researchers combine their experiences in Bonebeds, providing readers with an understanding of modern techniques in bonebed data collection and analysis. This original book provides the background and methods that students and professionals need to explore and understand these fantastic records of ancient life and death. The Earth on Show: Fossils and the Poetics of Popular Science, 1802-1856 (Hardcover) by Ralph O'Connor (Author) List Price: $45.00 Hardcover: 542 pages Publisher: University Of Chicago Press ISBN10: 0226616681 ISBN-13: 9780226616681 At the turn of the nineteenth century, geology and its claims that the earth had a long and colorful prehuman history was widely dismissed as dangerous nonsense. But just fifty years later, it was 'the most celebrated of Victorian sciences. Ralph O'Connor tracks the astonishing growth of geology's prestige in Britain, exploring how a new geohistory far more alluring than the standard six days of Creation was assembled and sold to the wider Bible-reading public. Shrewd science-writers, O'Connor shows, marketed spectacular visions of past worlds, piquing the public imagination with glimpses of man-eating mammoths, talking dinosaurs, and seadragons spawned by Satan himself. One Hundred years ago these authors, including men of science, women, clergymen, biblical literalists, hack writers, blackmailers, and prophets borrowed freely from the Bible, poetry, and the urban entertainment industry, creating new forms of literature in order to transport their readers into a vanished, alien past. In exploring the use of poetry and spectacle in the promotion of popular science, O' Connor proves that geology's success owed much to the literary techniques of its authors.
World's Oldest Fossils and Paleozoic Fossils Two Schiffer Books for Collectors $29.95 each. Both written by Bruce L Stinchcomb. "World's Oldest Fossils" provides information on fossils, fossil collecting and price ranges (with all full color photography) from the age of "Deep Time" called the PreCambrian. Some of the fossils are mysteries to science and the book covers their interpretations. "Paleozoic Fossils" is very similar but covers the rich fossil record from the Cambrian through the Permian. These are great books for fossil hunters who will find a useful guide to the values of their finds. Vertebrate Microfossil Assemblages: Their Role in Paleoecology and Paleobiogeography (Life of the Past) (Hardcover)by Julia T. Sankey (Editor), Sven Baszio (Editor) List Price: $59.95 Hardcover: 278 pages Publisher: Indiana University Press ISBN-10: 0253349273 ISBN-13: 978-0253349279 This volume presents state-of-the-art papers on important topics and methods in the analysis of vertebrate microfossil assemblages. The minute remains of animals and plants have proven very useful to paleontologists as tools for dating large fossils, describing the environments which existed at the time the fossils were deposited, and identifying and mapping the extent of local floras and faunas, among other things. Analysis of the data produced from microvertebrate localities can address a wide range of questions. Indiana University Press has been the leading in producing scholarly, informative and up-to-date books on paleontology. Great to see in this original book is the artwork of Russell J Hawley, who has long been a loyal contributor of art to PT.
Roadside Geology of Florida (Roadside Geology Series) (Paperback) by Jonathan R. Bryan, Thomas M. Scott and Guy H. Means $26.00 368 pages Publisher: Mountain Press Publishing Company ISBN-10: 087842542X ISBN-13: 9780878425426 Walt Disney World and sunny beach resorts are things the average person readily associates with Florida, but geology? Not so much. "Roadside Geology of Florida" attempts to change that. From the panhandle through the Central Lakes District all the way to the Dry Tortugas, authors Bryan, Scott, and Means lead you through a world of cavernous limestone, roiling springheads, and rock strata containing the remains of some of the strangest animals that ever walked the Earth. The latest in this original series, the "Roadside Geology of Florida" is divided into five regions, following Florida's roads to its geological wonders. Along the roads you 11 encounter a sinkhole that swallowed several buildings in Winter Park; sand dunes stranded high and dry with no shoreline in sight; and Titanis walleri, the 6-foot-tall, prehistoric predatory flightless bird. Every natural history museum and paleontological site are described in the book. With its concise descriptions, clearly written explanations, and voluminous color photographs and illustrations, this book will enthrall readers as they tour the Sunshine State, which, by the way, is the most recent addition to the North American continent. The Dinosaur Hunters by Dr Lowell Dingus & Dr Mark Norell ISBN: 978 0 233 00 233 0 Andre Deutsche & Carlton Books. Backed by the American Museum of Natural History, this book tells the story of the men and women who discovered prehistoric life; individuals who dedicated their lives to furthering our knowledge. The great, original idea about the book is the inclusion of over 30 beautifully recreated facsimile documents, rare photos and hand drawn maps from famous paleontologists of the past and present. The book comes in a crate-shaped slipcase and is a fantastic gift idea for the dino fan.
World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures (Hardcover) by Dougal Dixon List Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 512 pages Publisher: Lorenz Books ISBN-10: 075481730X ISBN-13: 978-0754817307 This beautiful book brings together every important dinosaur find from the last two centuries and from the world's richest fossil sites. The result is a comprehensive, groundbreaking book that details most every kind of prehistoric creature known from all the different eras from the Devonian through the Quaternary and features the best known and well as lesser known creatures including very recent discoveries. Packed with amazing new full color art by such artists as Julius Csotonyi and Alain Beneteau.
And some final Non Extinct tidbits include the release of 10,000 BC on DVD. Unfortunately the only added content offered on this strikingly sparse DVD is an alternate ending, and a selection of additional scenes. And worse than that, many of the moments contain UNFINISHED VISUAL EFFECTS! That's right -just as you're ready to experience the Great Pyramid payoff offered by the new finale, or some additional moments with everyone's favorite big fanged feline, out comes the Apple IIe graphics and WHOOSH! gone are all prospects of enjoying the extra material. It seems silly to include such incomplete sequences here, especially since they add very little to our understanding of the story or the overall intent. Don't be surprised if a better, more detailed version comes your way around Christmas time. Also on DVD is National Geographic 's Sea Monsters movie that was shown in IMAX theaters in 3D. For related merchandise, check out www.nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters. You can also play the Sea Monsters video game on Nintendo DS and Wii and on Playstation. You get to be the sea monster and swim around the ancient sea. Also look for T. Rex's Mighty Roar, David Krentz's new children's dinosaur book at Toys R Us.