Book recommendations

[HD-man]

H @HD-man Thank you so much for all of that! It really helps!

Anytime! Glad I could help!

[Halichoeres]

If it helps at all, I have the following from your list

Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved by Darren Naish

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve Brusatte (this seems a mainstay)

The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs: Second Edition (Princeton Field Guides, 110) by Gregory S. Paul

Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils by Dean R. Lomax, Robert Nicholls

The Palaeoartist's Handbook: Recreating Prehistoric Animals in Art by Mark Witton

Dinosaur Art II (Dinosaur Art 2) by Steve White

Dinosaur Facts and Figures: The Sauropods and Other Sauropodomorphs

And I don't regret a single one of them. I also have The Dinosauria by Weishampel et al., but I believe they're about to release a new updated edition, so I'd hold off on it. If you're interested in deep dives on particular topics, you might poke around in the offerings of the "Life of the Past" series by Indiana University Press (https://iupress.org/search-results/?series=life-of-the-past). Witton's Life Through the Ages is part of the series, although most are not so heavily illustrated.

[HD-man]

@Carnoking

H @HD-man Thank you so much for all of that! It really helps!

Anytime! Glad I could help!

BTW, since you're so interested in paleoart books, I also recommend prioritizing Willoughby's Drawing and Painting Dinosaurs: Using Art and Science to Bring the Past to Life: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09GRGMVGM

[Halichoeres]

Were they "reduced to greyscale" or were they created that way?  I know they were digital only, not physical paintings.

I got Locked in Time a few days ago, and while I'm glad I got it, I expected the illustrations to be in color and they aren't. That was a bit disappointing, seeing 50 Bob Nicholls paintings reduced to grayscale! Still a good introduction to fossil behavior.

Oh, I think you're right! I think that based on previous work I'd seen from Nicholls, and the fact that he referred to them as paintings, I assumed they'd be in color. But I think you're right that they were black and white to begin with, after scrolling through his Twitter feed. The images definitely still suffer from the paper they're printed on, but they haven't lost color information because there never was any.

I just saw on Twitter that Nicholls originally made these images in black and white, but for the Korean edition he added color to them all! https://twitter.com/Paleocreations/status/1558501399331315714

[littletrex]

I have a recommendation for younger readers, but of course I do, I wrote it! The Plesiosaur's Neck

Here's some praise for the book that I've collated.

"A dream read for fact-guzzling young dinosaur fans. The winner by a neck!"
Pam Norfolk, LANCASTER GUARDIAN

"...add The Plesiosaur's Neck to the list of books that will fascinate young palaeontologists and congratulate its creators too for finding a fresh approach. ...It works really well and will catch youngsters' imaginations while giving them a really good idea of how plesiosaurs lived, and insight into how scientists form their theories. A really lively and effective book"
Lucy Staines, BOOKS FOR KEEPS (BOOK OF THE WEEK)

"...entertainingly presented and vividly illustrated, marrying the key facts with rhyming asides to keep children fully engaged."
James Cann, THE INDEPENDENT (CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK)

""The Plesiosaur's Neck" combines colourful characters with a cornucopia of fun facts. It is an entertaining exploration of a genuine palaeontological puzzle."
Mike Walley, EVERYTHING DINOSAUR

"I certainly wasn't expecting a rhyming text when I received this book but wow! It really works and is a terrific read aloud. Adam Larkum's illustrations are full of fun, adding to the entertainment of what is a smashing exploration."
Jill Bennett, RED READING HUB

"The bouncy short text is perfect if reading to young readers as it will hold their attention. You can then intersperse the fun chat between Alfie and Bella – my daughter loved this."
Rachael Davis, PICTURE BOOK PERFECT

 "A lovely book for all children, especially those who are captivated by dinosaurs and other extinct animals!"
Lucy Newton, READINGZONE

"Poppy's 7-metre long neck is just one of the many fascinating facts we discover in this brilliantly P L A Y F U L non-fiction book"..."Readers will love exploring the different theories and finding out the facts"..."Fun, lively and fascinating, this is a fab picture book..."
Caz Cook, TEENYREADERS on Instagram

 "A perfect picture book for little dinosaur enthusiasts! The illustrations are packed with comic detail and vibrant colours. We love the 'Spotters guide to the Cretaceous period' at the back, which offers some fun search-and-find challenges..."
LittleLibraryOwl on Instagram

"This colourful picture book will capture the minds of young children and inspire imagination."
Hannah Stobie, BIG ISSUE NORTH (NO.1383 · 31 MAY – 6 JUNE 2021)

"Told in playful, rhyming text backed with scientific hypothesis and fact filled boxes, this book strikes the balance between picture book and non fiction book....The illustrations are wonderful, colourful and full of scientific details that ensure the reader comes away with an understanding and knowledge about the plesiosaur."
Erin Hamilton, MY SHELVES ARE FULL

"What a great pick this is for home and for educational settings encouraging enquiry, researching and accepting that sometimes there may not be a definitive answer. Seek this book out, it's super."
MAMMA FILZ

Thanks for this recommendation. I was just thinking of giving my son some dinosaur books for his age to keep him interested. He is 5 years old and I would like to buy him "Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs" to start with. But I'll think about it, maybe I'll buy the book you suggested right away.

[Libraraptor]

At the moment I am reading "Otherlands. A World in the Making" by Thomas Halliday. A great, great book! Does anyone else know and love it?

[Halichoeres]

A new book due out in February, by Evan Johnson-Ransom and Julius Csotonyi, describes and illustrates nearly every non-avian dinosaur:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Greatest-Dinosaur-Book-Ever/Julius-Csotonyi/9781646433162

As much as I favor non-dinosaurs, I think I'll have to spring for this one.

At the moment I am reading "Otherlands. A World in the Making" by Thomas Halliday. A great, great book! Does anyone else know and love it?

It's a very cool book. I have thumbed through it at my local book store, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[HD-man]

A new book due out in February, by Evan Johnson-Ransom and Julius Csotonyi, describes and illustrates nearly every non-avian dinosaur:

I'm glad that Dinosaur World is the actual title ( https://www.facebook.com/julius.csotonyi/posts/pfbid02vsXbyM26xtWdKB8U35MpjYQ1QksAZmng3RbKejezCDFHsHwejk3GcdtuuKRfT9iJl ). The alternative was too superlative & risked setting the book up for failure, something I've written about before ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3512201621 ).

[Halichoeres]

Yeah, should have mentioned that. The title is a little dull but that's better than overly grandiose.

[Halichoeres]

Not a recommendation per se, but some might be interested in this fan-made Dungeons and Dragons book on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/palaeogames/dr-dhrolins-dictionary-of-dinosaurs/description

Features art by Mark Witton!

[HD-man]

I hope PNSO publishes these series in english! They look great!

http://www.pnso.org/?p=1464


http://www.pnso.org/?p=1498

[Carnoking]

Just got this in from Amazon and if you're at all interested in contemporary Paleoart, I can't recommend it enough! I've hardly even cracked into it but every included piece so far is amazing, it's basically  a beefed up version of All Yesterdays!

[Halichoeres]

Definitely planning to pick up Mesozoic Art. I'm glad they splurged on this large format.

[Carnoking]

These were gifts over the holiday season and I've been chipping my way through both. More great artwork in Profiles of a Lost World, and Hone's book is great for some perspective!

[Libraraptor]

Thanks for recommending "The Future Of Dinosaurs", will put that on my want list.

[Halichoeres]

So I picked up Dinosaur World by Evan Johnson-Ransom and Julius Csotonyi last week. It's an absolutely enormous book, and lushly illustrated. Csotonyi really generated digital illustrations for 1,200 dinosaur genera! They mostly appear three to a page, but that's interspersed with full-page spreads for notable or popular dinosaurs. It's a little like having a dinosaur stamp collection in a single volume. You won't find a ton of information on ecology, skeletal anatomy, or anything deep. But you'll probably find some dinosaur genera you've never heard of or only dimly recognize. It's not a terribly expensive book (currently $42 US here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-greatest-dinosaur-book-ever-over-1-000-amazing-dinosaurs-famous-fossils-and-the-latest-discoveries-from-the-prehistoric-era-evan-johnson-ransom/18246659?ean=9781646433162) and I think it's a pretty good value if you just want to gawk at some nice illustrations of all the dinosaurs known at the time of printing.

[ceratopsian]

Good to hear that!  I have it pre-ordered but it doesn't come out here until March 20th.  I thought it sounded like a gentle amusement when I need a break from more serious matters.

So I picked up Dinosaur World by Evan Johnson-Ransom and Julius Csotonyi last week. It's an absolutely enormous book, and lushly illustrated. Csotonyi really generated digital illustrations for 1,200 dinosaur genera! They mostly appear three to a page, but that's interspersed with full-page spreads for notable or popular dinosaurs. It's a little like having a dinosaur stamp collection in a single volume. You won't find a ton of information on ecology, skeletal anatomy, or anything deep. But you'll probably find some dinosaur genera you've never heard of or only dimly recognize. It's not a terribly expensive book (currently $42 US here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-greatest-dinosaur-book-ever-over-1-000-amazing-dinosaurs-famous-fossils-and-the-latest-discoveries-from-the-prehistoric-era-evan-johnson-ransom/18246659?ean=9781646433162) and I think it's a pretty good value if you just want to gawk at some nice illustrations of all the dinosaurs known at the time of printing.

[Halichoeres]

Good to hear that!  I have it pre-ordered but it doesn't come out here until March 20th.  I thought it sounded like a gentle amusement when I need a break from more serious matters.

Gentle amusement is exactly right!

[Halichoeres]

I got my copy of Mesozoic Art this weekend and it does not disappoint. I'm very pleased with it.

[Gwangi]

I suppose I have a book to recommend too. Darren Naish's Ancient Sea Reptiles. I haven't finished it yet but it is extremely informative so far while also being entertaining and reader friendly too. But if you read Naish then you know what to expect. A book like this is long overdue!