The Complete Dinosaur

This is a New York Public Library outstanding reference book of 1998. While the inhabitants of the lost world have long held sway over our imaginations, in recent years dinosaur science has experienced an explosive growth. More books on dinosaurs have been published in the past decade than in all the previous 150 years since Richard Owen named these 'fearfully great lizards' (correctly, 'reptiles'), and dinosaur research continues to make headlines. Reporting the latest discoveries and research, this book is an exuberant celebration of dinosaurs and of our ongoing fascination with them.Here, in one volume, is the single, most-authoritative account of dinosaur paleontology for the general reader. So rapidly has the field expanded that no individual can hope to master all the aspects of dinosaur paleontology. For this book, the editors have brought together forty-six experts in subjects ranging from functional morphology and paleobiology to biogeography and systematics to present a thorough survey of the dinosaurs from the earliest discoveries through the contemporary controversies over their extinction.Where contention exists, as over the question of whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded or cold-blooded, the editors have let the experts agree to disagree. Throughout technical jargon is kept to a minimum, and there is also a glossary of less familiar terms. Readers will find a wealth of information on the study and classification of dinosaurs, on each of the dinosaur groups, and on dinosaur biology and evolution. Not the least among these riches are the more than 350 illustrations (Including 16 pages of color plates), many prepared especially for this volume.The volume concludes with a survey of dinosaurs in the media and a chronology of the history of dinosaur science. The single most authoritative account of dinosaur paleontology for the general public, all in one volume. Sumptuously illustrated, with up-to-the-minute information. More than 350 illustrations, including 16 pages in full color. Each chapter written by an expert in dinosaur studies. Includes the latest dinosaur discoveries. New information on the warm-blooded/cold-blooded debate. New insights on the possibility of isolating dinosaur DNA. What dinosaurs ate and how we know about it? Dinosaurs in the media A time-line of the history of dinosaur science And much, much more!

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.