Hunting Dinosaurs

Rating:
Summary: Great fun! And educational too
Review: A result of Award winning photojournalist Louie Psihoyos' three-year field trip to the world's major dinosaur fossil sites, this oversized book, written with frequent collaborator John Knoebber, is a well-organized, energetic, stimulating, amusing and gorgeously illustrated trek through prehistory.

Accompanied by the bones of famous fossil hunter Edward Drinker Cope (you'll just have to read the book), Psihoyos visits the world's prominent paleontologists, lends a hand when asked and lets them talk for themselves.

The book is organized loosely by time periods, beginning with an introduction to the history of dinosaur hunting and concluding, cleverly, with opinionated statements from all the scientists on "What killed the dinosaurs?"

In between are colorful visits to major museums and field sites, lively discussions of the theories of warm-bloodedness, dinosaur physiology and evolution and the evidence to be found in tracks, scat and site environments.

Psihoyos' crisp, humorous style is reminiscent of the best of personal journalism - an irreverence for academic stodginess and a participatory flair - mixed with a deep respect for expertise and avid curiosity. His photographs are complemented by paintings and maps showing fossil sites.

Rating:
Summary: This book is exceptionally informative and beautiful!
Review: I enjoyed the informative, humorous writing and beautiful photography of this book so much that I have included it in my course designed for teachers. Good work, authors!

Rating:
Summary: The best dinosaur book ever
Review: Positively the best photography I have ever seen on the subject. His pictures are superb. Must be seen to believe

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful piece of photojournalism
Review: Psihoyos, a photographer for National Geographic, has written a tremendous book about dinosaurs as we understand them today. Central to the book, of course, are Psihoyos' terrific photographs: Of fossils in museums, of individuals in their workplaces, of the beautiful landscapes to which paleontologists travel to search for bones, and of the bones themselves in varying states of discovery and repair. All by itself, this book gives you a deep respect for what really good photographers can accomplish with their craft.

Psihoyos also turns out to be a lively and witty writer, and the book provides a good general background on what we understand of dinosaurs and how they lived, as well as a history of dinosaur hunters dating back to the mid-19th century. I've been a casual "fan" of dinosaurs since childhood, and much of what's related here was completely unknown to me. Psihoyos outlines several of the controversies in the history of dinosaur digging, including the discovery of the reptile-bird archaeopterix, and the wars between the two great bone hunters of the late 19th century.

Along the way he also caught a few big breaks, such as discovering that there was no "type specimen" (defining example) for homo sapiens (humans), as well as getting caught up in the Tyrannosaur Sue controversy which resulted in lawsuits and jail time for some of those involved.

Anyone with any amount of interest in dinosaurs - from casual to deep - should find this book entertaining, and maybe even enlightening. For the pictures alone, it's a steal.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful piece of photojournalism
Review: Psihoyos, a photographer for National Geographic, has written a tremendous book about dinosaurs as we understand them today. Central to the book, of course, are Psihoyos' terrific photographs: Of fossils in museums, of individuals in their workplaces, of the beautiful landscapes to which paleontologists travel to search for bones, and of the bones themselves in varying states of discovery and repair. All by itself, this book gives you a deep respect for what really good photographers can accomplish with their craft.

Psihoyos also turns out to be a lively and witty writer, and the book provides a good general background on what we understand of dinosaurs and how they lived, as well as a history of dinosaur hunters dating back to the mid-19th century. I've been a casual "fan" of dinosaurs since childhood, and much of what's related here was completely unknown to me. Psihoyos outlines several of the controversies in the history of dinosaur digging, including the discovery of the reptile-bird archaeopterix, and the wars between the two great bone hunters of the late 19th century.

Along the way he also caught a few big breaks, such as discovering that there was no "type specimen" (defining example) for homo sapiens (humans), as well as getting caught up in the Tyrannosaur Sue controversy which resulted in lawsuits and jail time for some of those involved.

Anyone with any amount of interest in dinosaurs - from casual to deep - should find this book entertaining, and maybe even enlightening. For the pictures alone, it's a steal.

Rating:
Summary: impish and wonderful
Review: This book is an original, combining the stories of discoverers, hard science, and masterful photography. It is a true feast, leavened by odd humor and genuine love of the subject. For example, there is a section on coprolites - petrified dino scat - that goes into what they are revealing about the ecology of the dino era. In addition, it features a lovely photo of a smiling scientist, as she preside over her coprolites like a baker advertising her wares: it is funny, informative, artististic. The stories in it are also fascinating, telling of their quirky personalities, inexplicable talents, and fanatical drive.

Reading it helped me to re-live my childhood love of these great and mysterious beasts as well as to update my knowledge on the state of the art today. Now I am introducing my children to them through this book.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: impish and wonderful
Review: This book is an original, combining the stories of discoverers, hard science, and masterful photography. It is a true feast, leavened by odd humor and genuine love of the subject. For example, there is a section on coprolites - petrified dino scat - that goes into what they are revealing about the ecology of the dino era. In addition, it features a lovely photo of a smiling scientist, as she preside over her coprolites like a baker advertising her wares: it is funny, informative, artististic. The stories in it are also fascinating, telling of their quirky personalities, inexplicable talents, and fanatical drive.

Reading it helped me to re-live my childhood love of these great and mysterious beasts as well as to update my knowledge on the state of the art today. Now I am introducing my children to them through this book.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: can't believe it's OP--check it out at the library!
Review: This is a wonderful book for amateur paleontologists and those who just like dinosaurs. The authors visit all the famous locales, where the big finds were made (you know the names--the Badlands, Mongolia), and talk to those who are currently working in the field. You learn some of the interesting stories from behind the scenes. Beautifully photographed as well. Accompanied by the skull of Edward Drinker Cope ("the Man" when it comes to North american paleontologists, along with his nemesis, O.C. Marsh), this is the ultimate dinosaur roadtrip. Maybe it will come back into print soon, with the ever present interest and appetite for dinosaurs and dinosauria.

Librarians--while this was published as an adult book, Amazon's suggestion of YA is right on--glossy photos, some irreverant humour, nice layout with just enough white space, and a subject that is always in demand somewhere make it just right for a YA non fiction collection.

Rating:
Summary: can't believe it's OP--check it out at the library!
Review: This is a wonderful book for amateur paleontologists and those who just like dinosaurs. The authors visit all the famous locales, where the big finds were made (you know the names--the Badlands, Mongolia), and talk to those who are currently working in the field. You learn some of the interesting stories from behind the scenes. Beautifully photographed as well. Accompanied by the skull of Edward Drinker Cope ("the Man" when it comes to North american paleontologists, along with his nemesis, O.C. Marsh), this is the ultimate dinosaur roadtrip. Maybe it will come back into print soon, with the ever present interest and appetite for dinosaurs and dinosauria.

Librarians--while this was published as an adult book, Amazon's suggestion of YA is right on--glossy photos, some irreverant humour, nice layout with just enough white space, and a subject that is always in demand somewhere make it just right for a YA non fiction collection.