This book treads the line between a scholarly presentation and a readable popular account; its intended use as a textbook for a college-level course is reflected in the highlighting of key concepts, the inclusion of a bibliography with each chapter, and a text packed to capacity with information since the authors hope to present a complete overview of the state of dinosaur science. This presentation succeeds well in two ways: first, in giving an idea of the scientific process by which paleontologists learn, share, and build on information and, second, in explaining background concepts in biology. Both authors are authorities in the field (Weishampel edited the standard reference Dinosauria, LJ 3/15/91) and definitely know their stuff.

"The Dinosauria" edited by David B. Weihampel, Peter Dodson, and Halszka Osmolska is for the serious dinophile and for those with some science and paleontology backgrounds. This book should NOT be tackled by the casual reader as it can be very serious when reading this volume on comparitive anatomy of dinosaur bones.

I found "The Dinosauria" to be very well-written and very informative and it gives the reader a clue to the nature of dinosaurs through their bone structure. The first section covers a broad area of interest, mainly the evolutionary relationships of dinosaurs within the wider context of archosaurian descent. The behaviorial attributes are next and what did they possess. Also, how does one analyze them from the paleontological and modern biological perspectives? In this first section, the question is posed, as to how the dinosaurs became extinct as a group.

In the second section each group of animals receives a detailed treatment, beginning with its anatomy. This is a comprehesive review of the taxonomy and systematic relationships at the level of genus and species. Here the dicussion focuses on the aspects of the fossil record, preservation, paleogeography, paleoecology, and life habits of that particular group.

“Dingus brilliantly shows that an isolated, rural town surrounded by a lonely piece of America can yield as deep and evocative a history as any terrain on earth. Hell Creek... is heavenly reading!”
- Michael Novacek, Senior Vice President and Provost of Science, American Museum of Natural History

"Lowell Dingus tells the saga of the discovery of the first specimen ever found of Tyrannosaurus rex, probably the world's most famous fossil. But he brings a whole lot more to the story, as no other place captures the essence of the history of the American West better than Hell Creek, Montana. A great read about a fantastic piece of American real estate!"
- Dr. Niles Eldredge, Curator of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History

"There are lots of dinosaur books, yet few of these place the great discoveries in a historical context. Here Lowell Dingus tells us the story of the events that led to some of the great dinosaur discoveries of all time. Interwoven with these stories is a compelling, introspective personal narrative of how happenings in this remote part of Montana have and continue to be a big part of the American scene."
--Dr. Mark A. Norell, Chairman and Curator, Department of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History

This book brings the primordial world to vivid photo-realistic life, covering 112 of the earliest beasts dating from the Cambrian Period to the Pleistocene Period, with in-depth profiles on physical characteristics, lifestyle, habitat and behavior. Fascinating Fact sidebars throughout offer tidbits of dinosaur trivia.

The heart of the book is the 350 richly detailed and lifelike color illustrations. These photo-illustrations are the result of pioneering work by the Emmy award-winning creative team at Framestore CFC. Leaders in digital animation technology, they combined animation, graphic effects, and filmmaking to recreate creatures such as Meganeura, a giant carnivorous dragonfly, the sail-backed killer Dimetrodon,and Gorgonops, a saber-toothed predator that looks like a cross between a monitor lizard and a lion.

This highly accessible introduction to dinosaurs places scientific method at the crux of the studies, teaching students about scientific research and principles as they learn about dinosaurs. Now in its second edition, the text includes updates on recent finds, increased coverage of evolution and physiology, and an expanded and improved illustration program.Beginning with foundational chapters on the scientific method and the context of dinosaurs, the text then proceeds with detailed discussions of dinosaur anatomy, taphonomy, evolution, physiology and ichnology. The text also examines five select clades of dinosaurs, and finishes by covering birds as modern dinosaurs and dinosaur extinctions. Intended for both majors and non majors, this textbook balances scientific rigor with real world examples that show how dinosaurs lived and died as well as what happened to them after they died.Features of this new edition include:Everyday scenarios at chapter openings set the stage for chapter contentDedicated web page, www.blackwellpublishing.com/dinosaurs, with interactive material and all art in downloadable form (art also available to instructors on CD-ROM)End of chapter discussion questionsEasy reference glossaryNew references included at the end of each chapterHigh-quality, full color figures and photographs throughout.

The 40-plus chapters in The Complete Dinosaur range from raw, cutting-edge science that drips with original data to surveys of the history of dinosaur collecting that are suitable for even the most jargon-shy readers. Editors James O. Farlow and M. K. Brett-Surman admit that they were "teenage geeks who loved the movies of Willis O'Brien, Ray Harryhausen, and Jim Danforth, and the novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Rice Burroughs," and they do not neglect their roots. There are chapters covering all the hot topics of contemporary dinosaur research, including footprints, metabolism, and meteor strikes; there is also a section on determining how many lawyers you need to feed a captive Tyrannosaurus rex. It's a remarkable fusion between scientific research--warts, conflicts, and all--and public understanding.

Here is the fourth supplement to Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia, a 1998 American Library Association Outstanding Reference Book (ARBA called it "a reference legend...lavishly illustrated, cleverly written, and extraordinarily comprehensive").

This volume updates the concepts discussed in the encyclopedia and its earlier supplements. It includes a discussion of the Mesozoic Era, covers recent discoveries in paleontology, and furthers the ectothermy/endothermy debate from previous installments. It also offers lengthy sections on dinosaurian schematics and genera and updates the encyclopedia’s list of excluded genera. Appendices discuss Pterosaurs and Mesozoic birds, and a glossary is included to aid students and scientists alike. The extensive bibliography lists the most recent peer-evaluated paleontology literature.

Megalodon: Hunting The Hunter by paleontologist Mark Renzis the amazing saga of the evolutionary rise and fall of the Megalodon, a gigantic and deadly shark. From the hunt for Megalodon fossils, to the ecology of an efficient and successful predator, Megalodon is packed from cover to cover with a wealth of fascinating information, 390 illustrations and photos, and an accurate portrait of what these ancient eating machines were really like in the high seas. A superb and eye-opening paleontology account that is an enthusiastically recommended addition to paleontology reference collections and supplemental reading lists, Megalodon is enhanced for the readers with fifty international sites where they can search for Meg teeth, a color identification section of Meg and her ancestors, and more!

The meat-eating dinosaurs, or Theropoda, include some of the fiercest predators that ever lived. Some of the group’s members survive to this day—as birds. The theropod/bird connection has been explored in several recent works, but this book presents 17 papers on a variety of other topics. It is organized into three parts. Part I explores morphological details that are important for understanding theropod systematics. Part II focuses on specific regions of theropod anatomy and biomechanics. Part III examines various lines of evidence that reveal something about theropods as living creatures.

The contributors are Ronan Allain, Rinchen Barsbold, Kenneth Carpenter, Karen Cloward, Rodolfo A. Coria, Philip J. Currie, Peter M. Galton, Robert Gay, Donald M. Henderson, Dong Huang, James I. Kirkland, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, Eva B. Koppelhus, Peter Larson, Junchang Lü, Lorrie A. McWhinney, Clifford Miles, Ralph E. Molnar, N. Murphy, John H. Ostrom, Gregory S. Paul, Licheng Qiu,J. Keith Rigby, Jr., Bruce Rothschild, Christopher B. Ruff, Leonardo Salgado, Frank Sanders, Julia T. Sankey, Judith A. Schiebout, David K. Smith, Barbara R. Standhardt, Kathy Stokosa, Darren H. Tanke, François Therrien, David Trexler, Kelly Wicks, Douglas G. Wolfe, and Lowell Wood.

Dr. Ostrom revealed finding a DEINONYCHUS in 1969, an unusual discover in paleontology which shows that dinosaurs were the logical ancestors of birds. Guess they at a lot to get so big.

It was thought that they were a primitive form of Asian bird. The early dinosaurs had avian traits and could fly. They laid eggs like birds do, but fish do, too. They could be a combination of the two but how'd they get so large.

The feathered COELUROSAURS were found in China and the SINOSAUROPTERYX were in Patagonia and Mongolia. The editors all all specialists in the field of dinosaurs. There were various contributors to this study of feathered "dragons."

Dodson has written a fascinating and comprehensive scholarly and personal survey of the herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaurs that focuses on Triceratops, Chasmosaurus and Protoceratops. His detailed overview includes species taxonomy, skeletal anatomy, biological variation, evolutionary phylogeny, and geographical distribution as well as lingering questions concerning posture, social life, sexual dimorphism and behavior, and final extinction. Dodson's study also covers major sites, fossil discoveries, and professional interpretations of the growing evidence, from the early finds by E.D. Cope, Joseph Leidy, and O.C. Marsh to the present hypotheses by Robert Bakker, Jack Horner, and John Ostrom. Dodson gives special attention to both skull characteristics, e.g., the crest (frill), horns, sutures, and fenestrae and the significant monographs in ceratopsian paleontology. The author has successfully re-created the horned dinosaur in a fascinating book of facts, theories, and speculation. With extensive notes and excellent illustrations, this impressive volume is highly recommended for all academic and large public science collections.

The fossil record on Mesozoic mammals has expanded by orders of magnitude over the past quarter century. New specimens, some of them breathtakingly complete, have been found in nearly all parts of the globe at a rapid pace. Coupled with the application of new scientific approaches and techniques, these exciting discoveries have led to profound changes in our interpretation of early mammal history.

Mesozoic mammals have come into their own as a rich source of information for evolutionary biology. Their record of episodic, successive radiations speaks to the pace and mode of evolution. Early mammals were small, but they provide key information on the morphological transformations that led to modern mammals, including our own lineage of Placentalia. Significant and fast-evolving elements of the terrestrial biota for much of the Mesozoic, early mammals have played an increasingly important role in studies of paleoecology, faunal turnover, and historical biogeography. The record of early mammals occupies center stage for testing molecular evolutionary hypotheses on the timing and sequence of mammalian radiations.

Organized according to phylogeny, this book covers all aspects of the anatomy, paleobiology, and systematics of all early mammalian groups, in addition to the extant mammalian lineages extending back into the Mesozoic.

Before the Age of Dinosaurs there was an age in Earth’s history known as the Triassic. It was a world of truly fantastic creatures, a genetic stew of the ancient and the modern. During this time the Earth took its first steps toward the creation of modern terrestrial ecosystems. This incredibly exciting period is brought vividly to life in the words of paleontologist Nicholas Fraser and the consummate artistry of Douglas Henderson. Together they have created a book in which the riches of Triassic life are presented with clarity, scientific accuracy, and imaginative recreation. Every lover of the life of the past will treasure Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

The large, quadrupedal herbivores known as sauropods were widespread around the planet from the Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous. With the longest necks and tails of all of the dinosaurs, some sauropods were 40 meters in length and weighed upwards of 100,000 kilograms, more than 20 tons. The popular image of these lumbering giants, placidly consuming ferns has been greatly revised in recent years. New discoveries and new theories about behavior and physiology have continued to enrich the study of these remarkable beasts. This book presents 21 new studies of the sauropods. The book is organized into four parts. The first part looks at some sauropods old and new, the second at juvenile and adult specimens and ontogenetic variation within species. Part three concerns morphology and biomechanics, while part four takes up issues of biogeography.

The contributors are Sebastián Apesteguía, Malcolm W. Bedell, Jr., David S. Berman, Matthew F. Bonnan, Kenneth Carpenter, Sankar Chatterjee, Rodolfo A. Coria, Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia, John Foster, Peter M. Galton, Jacques van Heerden, Takehito Ikejiri, Jean Le Loeuff, D. M. Mohabey, John S. McIntosh, J. Michael Parrish, Bruce M. Rothschild, Leonardo Salgado, Steven W. Salisbury, Allen Shaw, Kenneth Stadtman, Kent A. Stevens, Virginia Tidwell, David Trexler, Ray Wilhite, Adam M. Yates, and Zhong Zheng.

"At last! An entire book devoted to one of the most recently developed and hottest techniques for the study of dinosaurs and other ancient animals. The author has devoted her career to the study of the histology of fossil bone. She comprehensively surveys a body of literature that begins more than a century ago but is up-to-the-minute as well. She skillfully introduces the student to the basics of the subject but also presses toward the limit of what the technique can tell us about the fascinating topics of growth and physiology of extinct animals. She describes the work of others with fairness but leaves no doubt as to her opinions about the shortcomings of widely cited studies. She writes with clarity and vigor and has presented a book that will be widely read by paleontologists of all levels and leanings." -- Peter Dodson, University of Pennsylvania