Book recommendations

[Faelrin]

While I've seen it mentioned a few times in this thread, I just recently found and picked up "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaur" at a local used and rare books store (while looking for another book, mentioned in my thread). It's old, but it helps me appreciate what was important in paleontology at the time, before I was born, and which ultimately lead to Jurassic Park's depiction of dinosaurs (while inaccurate and outdated, it was one of my dinosaur firsts, since I was like 3 or 4 when I first watched it on VHS, and we all know how much of a pop culture icon its dinosaurs have become). Anyways active dinosaurs have been ingrained in my head since then, and comes off as the "normal" depiction for me, so reading this and seeing how and why it wasn't always so, is fascinating for me.

Anyways the artwork is gorgeous, though there are pronated hands here and there, and lots of Charles Knight's lovely, yet outdated paintings as well (though they are used to compare the thinking of the times). A particular example of art (and of my favorites) in this book: http://i38.servimg.com/u/f38/17/65/42/95/double10.jpg I remember seeing that artwork before and immediately recognized it when skimming through, before buying this. Anyways I really recommend this book just to read up on the important issues of the time, if one isn't already familiar with what was going down then, and for the gorgeous artwork of the time as well.

Some information/slight spoilers below on content (I didn't see a spoiler tag, so if there is let me know asap, otherwise read at your discretion).

Lots of mentioning of Brontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. It goes on about dinosaurs evolving from thecodonts, the old issue of calling synapsids and therapsids mammal-like reptiles, the different groups of dinosaurs through the different periods, the cold and warm blooded debate, Archaeopteryx and Protoavis (feathered dinosaurs or first birds unrelated to dinosaurs? debate), etc. There's also the Camarasaurus skull called a Brontosaurus skull, which is amusing considering what had happened regarding that. Lots of mentions and comparisons on how thinking of dinosaurs was changing from slow and stupid to active and successful for a reason, before the extinction (from swamp and water dwelling sauropods and hadrosaurids to land based creatures, as an example). Probably mentioned different possible extinction scenarios as well (I have yet to read that chapter and the rest though).

[Shonisaurus]

It is to remark that has come out the next book by the publishing house Larousse Records and Curiosities of theropod dinosaurs and other dinosauromorfos (Trailer)

I pass the link in english. It will also sell in English. I think it's an interesting book.

I pass the link in english https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9LGoEsF_2Y#t=10.722083

[kreativtek]

I apologize if this question has been posted before, but did any of you have the chance to flip through the beautiful black book dedicated to Tristan the T-rex from the Natural History Museum in Berlin? Is it worth the price?

https://www.naturkundemuseum.berlin/de/museum/ausstellungen/buch-t-rex-mbr91216

[RaptorRex]

Picked up both The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (Second Edition) and The Tyrannosaur Chronicles. Both are excellent books, though Paul's questionable taxonomy is still persistent in TPFG.

[DinoLord]

Are there any notable differences to the second edition field guide?

[RaptorRex]

Are there any notable differences to the second edition field guide?

I actually don't own the first edition, so I can't say for certain. I am however certain that there are a significant amount of newly added genera, a lot I've noticed that were described last year.

[postsaurischian]

Are there any notable differences to the second edition field guide?

Lots of new additions!
But I will keep the first edition also - mainly because of some of the illustrations that are left out for the new book.

[Flaffy]

Hopefully The Field Guid of Saurian will join this thread soon?

[postsaurischian]

Hopefully The Field Guid of Saurian will join this thread soon?

You'll be glad to see that ALL Tyrannosauroids got (a tiny bit) fluffier _{.... (I'm afraid not fluffy enough for you though .)}

[Everything_Dinosaur]

At the moment, try "The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals" by Donald Prothero and illustrated by Mary Persis Williams. It is due out in a couple of weeks, our full review can be found here: A Review of The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals

[JL4Raptor]

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a kids book (ideal for a 3 going on 4 year old) that's got accurate information? I've been searching the internet for an age, and it's so difficult to tell what's good and what's not!

[Lanthanotus]

I'd recommend Robert Sabuda & Matthew Reinhard's Encyclopedia Prehistorica, the information in there is comparably good researched, given that a real up to date book is hardly achievable in a moving scientific field and that the book was released 10 years ago. It however boasts some of the most impressive pop-up paperwork you can find in a book and so it is highly attractive to kids.

While in the former the dinosaurs may appaer somewhat alienated due to their artistic character, this book shows the dinos in a more modern and realistic way and answers 16 questions about dinosaurs on impressively illustrated double pages. Big letters and easy sentences add to the child friendly character of the book and it is also quite cheap. The answer to the entitled question however may seem a bit odd

[HD-man]

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a kids book (ideal for a 3 going on 4 year old) that's got accurate information? I've been searching the internet for an age, and it's so difficult to tell what's good and what's not!

Depends. If the kid is just gonna look at the pics, then I recommend Holtz's Dinosaurs for the whole family (To quote Taylor, "It has something for everyone: the youngest child can enjoy Luis Rey's distinctive, dynamic illustrations; slightly older children will appreciate the descriptions of individual dinosaurs; those older still will be able to understand chapters on the history of dinosaurs, the fossilisation process, geological time and more. And even most adults will learn something from the chapter on cladistics — surely a first in a book aimed primarily at children": http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/dino/books/#hr2007 ). However, if the kid is gonna read the book too, then I recommend Bakker's The Big Golden Book of Dinosaurs, Dino Babies!, Prehistoric Monsters!, & Dinosaurs! (2 of which I reviewed: http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=2210.20 ).

I'd recommend Robert Sabuda & Matthew Reinhard's Encyclopedia Prehistorica, the information in there is comparably good researched, given that a real up to date book is hardly achievable in a moving scientific field and that the book was released 10 years ago. It however boasts some of the most impressive pop-up paperwork you can find in a book and so it is highly attractive to kids.

I can't tell whether the text is up-to-date, but I can tell that the paleoart isn't (E.g. Un-feathered coelurosaurs w/pronated hands).

[DinoToyForum]

Has this title been raised yet? I hear good things about Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved by Darren Naish and Paul Barrett. Does anyone have it?

[stargatedalek]

It's by Smithsonian, that explains the cover. Hopefully Smithsonian didn't edit the book or inside illustrations themselves.

[ceratopsian]

Has this title been raised yet? I hear good things about Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved by Darren Naish and Paul Barrett. Does anyone have it?

Technically by Naish and Barrett!  Yes, I have it.  I think it's well done and a very enjoyable read.  Concise and up-to-date.  Not a heavy read at all - so if the reader already knows "everything there is to know", maybe he/she will be disappointed.  I think it would also be fine for a child with good reading skills and a strong interest in the subject.  In short, a good overview.

And it's not by Smithsonian - that's the US edition.  The UK edition is a Natural History Museum publication.  The book is copyrighted to the Trustees of the Natural History Museum.

[DinoToyForum]

Has this title been raised yet? I hear good things about Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved by Darren Naish and Paul Barrett. Does anyone have it?

Technically by Naish and Barrett!  Yes, I have it.  I think it's well done and a very enjoyable read.  Concise and up-to-date.  Not a heavy read at all - so if the reader already knows "everything there is to know", maybe he/she will be disappointed.  I think it would also be fine for a child with good reading skills and a strong interest in the subject.  In short, a good overview.

And it's not by Smithsonian - that's the US edition.  The UK edition is a Natural History Museum publication.  The book is copyrighted to the Trustees of the Natural History Museum.

Noted and corrected! Thanks for the info.

[Newt]

Dinosaurs Without Bones is a layman's intro to trace fossils - footprints, toothmarks and tooth wear, nests, burrows, coprolites, etc. It's quite readable and has lots of personal stories, speculative scenarios of what dinosaurs were doing when they created trace fossils, a bit of the history of the field, and so on.

If you are looking for a textbook, this isn't it; it's more of an overview of what trace fossils are and what they can teach us than a guide to identification and methodology. I found Martin's attempts at humor a bit annoying, but I thought the book was overall enjoyable and enlightening.

[RaptorRex]

Bought Naish/Barrett's book. As ceratopsian said, if you're a die-hard dino-fan, most of the information will be familar. However, the chapter on dinosaur anatomy is extremely helpful and as a reference guide it serves the job well. It's a nice departure from the usual encyclopedic-format most 'serious' dinosaur books use.

[HD-man]

EDIT: Never mind.