Today, any kid can rattle off the names of dozens of dinosaurs. But it
took centuries of scientific effort--and a lot of luck--to discover and
establish the diversity of dinosaur species we now know. How did we
learn that Triceratops had three horns? Why don't many paleontologists
consider Brontosaurus a valid species? What convinced scientists that
modern birds are relatives of ancient Velociraptor?
In The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries, Donald R. Prothero
tells the fascinating stories behind the most important fossil finds and
the intrepid researchers who unearthed them. In twenty-five vivid
vignettes, he weaves together dramatic tales of dinosaur discoveries
with what modern science now knows about the species to which they
belong. Prothero takes us from eighteenth-century sightings of colossal
bones taken for biblical giants through recent discoveries of enormous
predators even larger than Tyrannosaurus. He recounts the escapades of
the larger-than-life personalities who made modern paleontology,
including scientific rivalries like the nineteenth-century "Bone Wars."
Prothero also details how to draw the boundaries between species and
explores debates such as whether dinosaurs had feathers, explaining the
findings that settled them or keep them going. Throughout, he offers a
clear and rigorous look at what paleontologists consider sound
interpretation of evidence. An essential read for any dinosaur lover,
this book teaches us to see an ancient world ruled by giant majestic
creatures anew.
