Witton & Michel's THE ART & SCIENCE OF THE CRYSTAL PALACE DINOSAURS

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

Unless I'm mistaken, there's no thread for this definitive work on the forum yet, so I guess I'll kick things off myself!
I gave it a full review on my Dino Dad Reviews blog, so I'll just hit a few highlights here to get the discussion rolling. Please chime in with any thought or interesting facts you learned from this book!



I've been happy to see the rehabilitation these important models have undergone, in more ways that one. Darren's TetZoo article hailing them as "Among the Most Accurate Renditions of Prehistoric Life Ever Made" I think perfectly captures the re-assessment of how they have typically been treated from a scientific perspective, and the tireless efforts of the Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs society have made some important achievements from a conservation perspective.



"The Art & Science of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs" is emblematic of these twin movements. It's pretty much the definitive treatise on the models from the perspective of their worth as both science and art, and as co-author Elinor Michel is a member of the Friends of the Crystal Palace, it is also heavily invested in promoting continuing care and restoration efforts for the models.



One example of both the author's intense research and Hawkins' original dedication can be seen in the rediscoveries related to the identities of the models. Not only did Hawkins actually have specific, different species in mind even for the "duplicate" models of plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, but the authors rediscovered a species previously considered lost from the display, due to a decades-old mis-identification! That's just one of the many things that blew me away about this book, but I don't want to steal all the thunder here. Let's hear some other people's thoughts about the book!

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I saw it mentioned in PT. Is it more of a photo book or a lot of reading?

[Paleo Flo]

Interesting book! Missed it until now but will get it soon. In 2016 I have been there and love this place

[Crackington]

This looks great and I'm planning on getting it for my birthday (will drop hint to the good lady!).

I also noticed the review in Prehistoric Times and thought wow!

From reading your excellent blog review @Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews) it looks like both a good read and a great coffee table book.

I'm planning on visiting the Crystal Palace park again too and will check with the Friends what guided tours will be on in the Spring/Summer.