Carl Mehling, editor
Amber Books
Nonfiction, Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals
****
Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs
Carl Mehling, editor
Amber Books
Nonfiction, Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals
****
Dinosaurs
DESCRIPTION: Since its creation from cosmic debris, the Earth has undergone radical changes. As the planet itself transforms, so the life upon it changes and adapts, in manners that the modern mind can scarcely imagine. Relying on the latest research, theories, and fossil finds, this book outlines various animals that have existed through Earth's long history, from the earliest trilobites to the near-modern woolly mammoths.
REVIEW: I found this at Half Price Books. I've been looking for an updated dinosaur book to add to my inspiration files, and the price was right, so I gave it
a try. This is probably the most extensive book on prehistoric creatures I have found to date. An entry-level book, it covers all sorts of dinosaurs and other
prehistoric animals in a manner that most anyone can understand. Each animal gets at least one page describing how long ago they lived, what is known or speculated
about them, and an illustration of what they might have looked like. The illustrations vary in quality and accuracy - some directly contradict the written
descriptions - but on the whole they add life and color to the book.
I actually came close to a three-star Okay rating. While the breadth of animals covered his is greater than any other book I own, there were several glaring editing
errors. (At least twice, the pronounceation guide cited obsolete names for an animal, rather than the one given.) Some animals got page count that may not have deserved
it; the text itself explains that more than one genus is dubious at best, and even outright disproven at worst. It also would've been nice to see a few more photographs
of the fossils themselves.
Those faults aside, this book also has some definite pluses. It ventures into the "shadow zone," the timeframe between the dinosaurs and modern Earth, which not many
other books seem to cover. It also provides more than one reconstruction of particularly troublesome fossils. The information provided is fairly up to date, as
well.
While it doesn't hold a candle to my all-time favorite dinosaur book (The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs, by Dr. David Norman), I still found much to
enjoy. I have other books that go into more detail on some types of prehistoric animals - the pterosaurs in particular seemed underrepresented - but, all in all, I
found Dinosaurs satisfactory.
You might also enjoy:
Jurassic Park (Micheal Crichton, Fiction - An experimental theme park uses preserved DNA to create a living dinosaur zoo)
Bone Wars (Brett Davis, Fiction - The famed Cope/Marsh fossil wars of the 1800's are complicated by futuristic interlopers)
The Lost World (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Fiction - A professor leads an expedition to a remote South American plateau, where prehistoric animals still roam)
The Dinotopia books (James Gurney, YA Fiction - The illustrated journeys of a 19th-century professor and his son, shipwrecked on a lost land where humans and dinosaurs coexist peacefully)
Thunder Lizards! How to Draw Fantastic Dinosaurs (Steve Miller, YA? Art - How to draw dinosaurs)
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs (Dr. David Norman, Nonfiction - Dinosaur species and investigation techniques)
Dinosaurs Before Dark (Mary Pope Osborne, YA Fiction - Two young kids find a magical tree house that whisks them to the Age of Dinosaurs)
Dinotopia: Hatchling (Midori Snyder, YA Fiction - An apprentice girl at at Dinotopian hatchery runs away in shame after her negligence puts her charges at risk)
Pterosaurs: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Flying Reptiles (Dr. Peter Wellenhoffer, Nonfiction - An overview of pterosaur species)
A Journey to the Center of the Earth (Jules Verne, Fiction - A professor and his assistant explore a lost world under the Earth's crust)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
Return to Brightdreamer Books Home
Brightdreamer Books is created and maintained by TBW, a.k.a. "Brightdreamer."
E-mail: tbweber AT comcast DOT net. (Remove spaces, replace AT with "@" and DOT with "." - please put "Brightdreamer Books" in the subject line, or your e-mail may be deleted as
spam! Thank you!