Gwangi's Book Collection (Page 7 *Snakes*)

[tyrantqueen]

Hi
Do you mind if I ask your opinion on two books- The Riddle of the Dinosaur by John Noble Wilford and Sea Dragons: Predators of the Prehistoric Oceans by Richard Ellis, both of which I see you own. What kind of information do they contain, and are they worth getting?

Thanks, I hope you don't mind the questions I have a hard time deciding whether to buy certain books or not, because there often isn't much information available. And I don't like to spend money willy-nilly on stuff that I might not even like

[Gwangi]

Hi
Do you mind if I ask your opinion on two books- The Riddle of the Dinosaur by John Noble Wilford and Sea Dragons: Predators of the Prehistoric Oceans by Richard Ellis, both of which I see you own. What kind of information do they contain, and are they worth getting?

Thanks, I hope you don't mind the questions I have a hard time deciding whether to buy certain books or not, because there often isn't much information available. And I don't like to spend money willy-nilly on stuff that I might not even like

"The Riddle of the Dinosaur" was published in 1985 so it is pretty dated. I found it really cheap and enjoy the Douglas Henderson paintings within so that was my motivation for grabbing it up. It mostly covers the history of paleontology like the bone wars and the first dinosaur discoveries. It also talk a bit about the dinosaur-bird connection, the warm-blooded debate and the extinction. Being as old as it is you can probably skip it. Its strongest attribute are the portions on paleontological history.

"Sea Dragons" was published in 2003 so is also a bit dated. If you're familiar with Richard Ellis' work you'll probably enjoy it. He writes (and paints/draws) a lot on the subject of marine life both past and present as well as cryptid. I recommend any of his books but in particular this one given how rare books on the topic are. "Sea Dragons" covers the ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, pliosaurs and mosasaurs as well as their extinctions in the last chapter. The book is full of B&W drawings by the author. Books on extinct marine reptiles are scarce and for that reason alone I feel like this book is essential for any prehistoric library.

No worries regarding all the questions. That is one of the reasons I started the thread.

[tyrantqueen]

Hi
Do you mind if I ask your opinion on two books- The Riddle of the Dinosaur by John Noble Wilford and Sea Dragons: Predators of the Prehistoric Oceans by Richard Ellis, both of which I see you own. What kind of information do they contain, and are they worth getting?

Thanks, I hope you don't mind the questions I have a hard time deciding whether to buy certain books or not, because there often isn't much information available. And I don't like to spend money willy-nilly on stuff that I might not even like

"The Riddle of the Dinosaur" was published in 1985 so it is pretty dated. I found it really cheap and enjoy the Douglas Henderson paintings within so that was my motivation for grabbing it up. It mostly covers the history of paleontology like the bone wars and the first dinosaur discoveries. It also talk a bit about the dinosaur-bird connection, the warm-blooded debate and the extinction. Being as old as it is you can probably skip it. Its strongest attribute are the portions on paleontological history.

"Sea Dragons" was published in 2003 so is also a bit dated. If you're familiar with Richard Ellis' work you'll probably enjoy it. He writes (and paints/draws) a lot on the subject of marine life both past and present as well as cryptid. I recommend any of his books but in particular this one given how rare books on the topic are. "Sea Dragons" covers the ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, pliosaurs and mosasaurs as well as their extinctions in the last chapter. The book is full of B&W drawings by the author. Books on extinct marine reptiles are scarce and for that reason alone I feel like this book is essential for any prehistoric library.

No worries regarding all the questions. That is one of the reasons I started the thread.

Thanks, that is helpful

I've been searching for a good, comprehensive text about prehistoric marine reptiles, but I am having a hard time finding anything. I was kinda looking for something that is similar to The Princeton Field Guide or The Pterosaurs From Deep Time.

Is Sea Dragons comparable to those titles? I've heard that the book is good, but I've also heard that it has some jargon in it that makes for dry reading.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Just throwing it out there, and certainly not a grain of dis-repect intended to your extra fine library there Gwangi, but there is another book about marine reptiles out there worth a glance. "Oceans of Kansas" written by Mike Everhart is a rather comprehensive study of the various marine reptiles found in the central united states at least, their early discoverers, and it provides a wealth of data. The author maintains a working position with the Sternberg museum in western Kansas, and is a rather well versed and educated man on his topic. I was able to meet him a few years back and you might even be familiar with some of his work....he was the technical consultant Carnegie employed to help with the most current Tylosaurus model they released.

[deanm]

My take on Sea Dragons is rather different. I found it extremely repetitive, low in content, poorly edited, and an overall disappointment. The illustrations were the only thing real saving grace.

Oceans of Kansas is a superb book. It is very well written, illustrated, edited and comprehensive. Keep in mind though that it is focused on a specific time period and place so it is not a global perspective book.

Between the two books, Oceans of Kansas is my clear and un-hestitating first choice.

[tyrantqueen]

My take on Sea Dragons is rather different. I found it extremely repetitive, low in content, poorly edited, and an overall disappointment. The illustrations were the only thing real saving grace.

Oceans of Kansas is a superb book. It is very well written, illustrated, edited and comprehensive. Keep in mind though that it is focused on a specific time period and place so it is not a global perspective book.

Between the two books, Oceans of Kansas is my clear and un-hestitating first choice.

Interesting. Thanks for the alternative opinion I'm afraid I'm even more confused as to what to get

Oceans of Kansas sounds interesting, but I was hoping for something with a wider range of species than just those native to the States.

[Gwangi]

I have not read "Oceans of Kansas" but it is on my wish list so while I am aware of it I can't recommend it. I'm sure it is a great book, the web site of the same name is pretty good itself. As for "Sea Dragons", it can be a bit dry (as most of Ellis' work is) but for an overview of all the marine reptile groups you really won't find anything better if only because "Sea Dragons" is one of very few that tackle the subject...it is actually the only one I'm aware of.

Just out of curiosity TQ, do you ever read the reviews on Amazon? I find them most helpful when looking for information on a specific book.

[tyrantqueen]

Just out of curiosity TQ, do you ever read the reviews on Amazon? I find them most helpful when looking for information on a specific book.

Yeah, that is true to a certain extent. I just think book reviews tend to be quite individual to the person who writes them. For example, I like artwork to be included in books, but not everyone wants that. And I get confused when another person writes a negative opinion on a book. I'm never sure who to believe The book Sea Dragons has some glowing reviews on Amazon, but on other sites (for example Google books) someone said they hated it.

Btw, I have decided to get both books (Oceans of Kansas and Sea Dragons) I will write my opinions on the books in my book thread

[wings]

Btw, I have decided to get both books (Oceans of Kansas and Sea Dragons) I will write my opinions on the books in my book thread

As for the Oceans of Kansas book, you can also check out the actual site (http://www.oceansofkansas.com/) for extra photos and illustrations of the specimens (some of them) mentioned in the book. Everhart's book is kind of like a proper write up of the website.

[Gwangi]

Just out of curiosity TQ, do you ever read the reviews on Amazon? I find them most helpful when looking for information on a specific book.

Yeah, that is true to a certain extent. I just think book reviews tend to be quite individual to the person who writes them. For example, I like artwork to be included in books, but not everyone wants that. And I get confused when another person writes a negative opinion on a book. I'm never sure who to believe The book Sea Dragons has some glowing reviews on Amazon, but on other sites (for example Google books) someone said they hated it.

Btw, I have decided to get both books (Oceans of Kansas and Sea Dragons) I will write my opinions on the books in my book thread

I look forward to hearing what you think. Generally when I look for a prospective book I look at the total rating. If a book has a lot of positive reviews I generally feel safe picking it up. "Sea Dragons" it appears is pretty mixed on Amazon. The reviews I pay attention to the most are the ones that use the correct grammar and punctuation...you know, reviews by competent people. I don't pay attention to reviews like..."I has this book for my kids and they luv it!" type reviews. I dunno, you get a knack for what reviews are worth paying attention to after awhile.

[freyreuxine13]

cool books you got there, I used to have many dinosaur books but all ended up being donated.

[Gwangi]

cool books you got there, I used to have many dinosaur books but all ended up being donated.

That's what I did with the books I had as a kid, kinda regret that move. Not as much as I regretted getting rid of my dinosaur toy collection but that is mostly replaced now by a better collection. So are the books I suppose.

[freyreuxine13]

cool books you got there, I used to have many dinosaur books but all ended up being donated.

That's what I did with the books I had as a kid, kinda regret that move. Not as much as I regretted getting rid of my dinosaur toy collection but that is mostly replaced now by a better collection. So are the books I suppose.

But the thing is we got better than what we had before right its like a reward for what we do good.

[Gwangi]

Yes indeed!

[Gwangi]

A lot of new books today gathered up from my local book sale. Some interesting titles and some books I've been looking for. I should mention that "The Complete T. rex" you see here is actually the same copy I checked out of my high school library back in 1997. I know this because of the stamp on the inside of the book. It is actually one of the first dinosaur books I read cover-to-cover.

[Gwangi]

Here are some other books I've collected this year I neglected to share.

[tyrantqueen]

Lots of awesome books there. How is The Complete T. rex? I've got it on my Amazon wishlist, but I don't know if I should go ahead and get it (I'm not so keen on Jack Horner )
Could you take a photo of the inside, when you have some free time? Thanks a bunch

I see you have Wellnhofer's pterosaur book. I love that book. Do you have Mark Witton's book, too? I also recommend that one.

[Gwangi]

Lots of awesome books there. How is The Complete T. rex? I've got it on my Amazon wishlist, but I don't know if I should go ahead and get it (I'm not so keen on Jack Horner )
Could you take a photo of the inside, when you have some free time? Thanks a bunch

I see you have Wellnhofer's pterosaur book. I love that book. Do you have Mark Witton's book, too? I also recommend that one.

I liked "The Complete T. rex" when I read it but that was a long time ago. IIRC it mostly concerns what we actually know about T. rex up to the time the book was written (1993). There are chapters on the discovery of T. rex, the Tyrannosaur family, the pop culture image of T. rex and how it has changed etc. There is one good chapter on the "world of T. rex" that discusses what the world was like at the time.
If you're concerned with the scavenger vs. predator debate, don't be. It is addressed but does not make up the entire book. In fact, here is a direct quote from Hornor "I'm not convinced T. rex was only a scavenger, though I will say so sometimes just to be contrary and get my colleagues arguing". Overall I do remember it being a good book but that was a long time ago. I will take some pictures for you when I get the chance though.
I'm so happy I finally have Wellnhofer's book though. I've wanted it for a long time and it is more beautifully illustrated than I had imagined. I don't have Witton's but it is on my wishlist.

[HD-man]

When's the encyclopedia from & who authored it?

Many thanks in advance.

[ITdactyl]

I'll echo HD-man's question, since I'm also looking for that book. (re: Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs)