The Complete Dinosaur [Hardcover]

James O. Farlow (Editor), M. K. Brett-Surman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

This is a "New York Public Library Outstanding Reference Book" of 1998. While the inhabitants of the lost world have long held sway over our imaginations, in recent years dinosaur science has experienced an explosive growth. More books on dinosaurs have been published in the past decade than in all the previous 150 years since Richard Owen named these 'fearfully great lizards' (correctly, 'reptiles'), and dinosaur research continues to make headlines. Reporting the latest discoveries and research, this book is an exuberant celebration of dinosaurs and of our ongoing fascination with them. Here, in one volume, is the single, most-authoritative account of dinosaur paleontology for the general reader. So rapidly has the field expanded that no individual can hope to master all the aspects of dinosaur paleontology. For this book, the editors have brought together forty-six experts in subjects ranging from functional morphology and paleobiology to biogeography and systematics to present a thorough survey of the dinosaurs from the earliest discoveries through the contemporary controversies over their extinction. Where contention exists, as over the question of whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded or cold-blooded, the editors have let the experts agree to disagree. Throughout technical jargon is kept to a minimum, and there is also a glossary of less familiar terms. Readers will find a wealth of information on the study and classification of dinosaurs, on each of the dinosaur groups, and on dinosaur biology and evolution. Not the least among these riches are the more than 350 illustrations (Including 16 pages of color plates), many prepared especially for this volume. The volume concludes with a survey of dinosaurs in the media and a chronology of the history of dinosaur science. This is the single most authoritative account of dinosaur paleontology for the general public, all in one volume. Sumptuously illustrated, with up-to-the-minute information, it features: more than 350 illustrations, including 16 pages in full color; each chapter written by an expert in dinosaur studies; includes the latest dinosaur discoveries; new information on the warm-blooded/cold-blooded debate; new insights on the possibility of isolating dinosaur DNA; what dinosaurs ate and how we know about it; dinosaurs in the media; a time-line of the history of dinosaur science; and much, much more!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The 40-plus chapters in The Complete Dinosaur range from raw, cutting-edge science that drips with original data to surveys of the history of dinosaur collecting that are suitable for even the most jargon-shy readers. Editors James O. Farlow and M. K. Brett-Surman admit that they were "teenage geeks who loved the movies of Willis O'Brien, Ray Harryhausen, and Jim Danforth, and the novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Rice Burroughs," and they do not neglect their roots. There are chapters covering all the hot topics of contemporary dinosaur research, including footprints, metabolism, and meteor strikes; there is also a section on determining how many lawyers you need to feed a captive Tyrannosaurus rex. It's a remarkable fusion between scientific research--warts, conflicts, and all--and public understanding.

From Library Journal

Very similar in length and scope to the Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs (LJ 11/1/97), this work features signed articles by many of the same distinguished paleontologists with the goal of providing a single authoritative account of dinosaur paleontology accessible to the general reader. The contributors were instructed to keep technical jargon to a minimum. The articles are grouped by six categories: Discovery of Dinosaurs, Study of Dinosaurs, Groups of Dinosaurs, Biology of Dinosaurs, Dinosaur Evolution, and Dinosaurs and the Media. When controversial topics arise, the editors have provided opposing viewpoints rather than picking sides. For example, the "extinction" article is presented as "A dialogue between a Catastrophist and a Gradualist." Dinosaurs are described by group rather than by individual genera, so this is not the place to find a picture of a specific kind of dinosaur (though the illustrations are generally informative). With simpler language, more background information, and a subject rather than an alphabetical organization that makes for a more coherent presentation, this is a better purchase for public and school libraries than the Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs, which is written as a review of dinosaur research literature for specialists. An excellent encyclopedia that serves as a nice bridge between popular and scholarly dinosaur literature.?Amy Brunvand, Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 768 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253333490
• ISBN-13: 978-0253333490
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Paleontology > Vertebrate
  • #20 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Dinosaurs
  • #91 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > History

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive dinosaur bible...for now..., March 21, 2000

By 

C. Moon (Valley Village, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Dinosaur (Life of the Past) (Paperback)

Faced with all the problems of trying to make science interesting to kids, there is, nor will there ever be anything quite so universally exciting as dinosaurs. But like any field of research, the outsider must suffer from being just that--an outsider. Without prior knowledge of the subject area one can easily fill their heads with outdated or only periphrial knowledge. What one needs is a good (up to date and user-friendly) source book, and The Complete Dinosaurs is without doubt one of the primier resources for both the outsider and insider on these ancient reptiles.

Although content will require some basic knowledge of biology (and you will find refresher material here as well--remember all your bones?), the chapters are for the most part always interesting, and some reflect the unquestionable enthusiasm of the authors. One particular chapter on the use of multimedia in cataloging and exchanging dinosaur data, while seemingly irrelevant to folks who just want to know the name of a dinosaur, spoke volumes of dedication and commitment to moving dinosaur finds from museum closets into scientists hands around the world. This level of enthusiasm does not diminish through the book, making what would otherwise be a very heavy read into something of a treat.

There are two or three other dinosaur books that may be as definitive as this one, however from paging through 'The Dinosauria' and 'The Dinosaur Encyclopedia', Farlow's books seemed the most approachable/accessible, while also not shorting the reader on content.

While this and the other dinosaur books mentioned might be a bit challenging at times for readers who don't have a background in biology, geology, paleontology, etc. (IE there is a lot of prior knowledge about evolutionary theory that the reader is assumed to possess), I would still not hestitate to recommend it to someone with a passion for Dinosaurs...which should be about everyone by now, right?

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recipe for Becoming a Scientist:, September 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Dinosaur (Hardcover)

First, take one bright, enthusiastic person with an interst in paleontology. Second, add a dash of The Complete Dinosaur. Third, allow to sit for a week or two. Sounds almost too easy, doesn't it? Although most people are interested in the findings of science, science is usually viewed as too difficult for the average person to "do." This book starts with interesting, non-technical essays on subjects pertaining to dinosaurs, the history of their discovery, and how artists learn to restore them. Then it moves through how paleontologists work on things like anatomy, geology, and how dinosaurs are related to one another. By the end of the book, the reader is reading full-blown technical treatises, without realizing it. This engaging book is also sprinkled with amusing annecdotes (how many lawyers would it take to feed a T. rex?). The good nature of the editors, combined with the lively writing of the individual authors, makes the transition from interested layman to knowledgale amateur an easy one. Many paleontologists I work with have their own copy of this book as a reference. Highly recommended.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Dinosaur, October 24, 2002

By 

Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Complete Dinosaur (Life of the Past) (Paperback)

The Complete Dinosaur edited by James O. Farlow and M.K. Brett-Surman is a comprehensive book about dinosaurs. There are many contributors that have written chapter for this book, so you get different writing styles and information is duplicated at times.

This book is divided into six parts and each has chapters written by the various contributors. The parts are as follows:
Part One: The Discovery of Dinosaurs
Part Two: The Study of Dinosaurs
Part Three: The Groups of Dinosaurs
Part Four: Biology of the Dinosaurs
Part Five: Dinosaur Evolution in the Changing World of the Meszoic Era
Part Six: Dinosaurs and the Media

What I found that was very interesting was that at the end of each chapter there was extensive references. So, if you find something that piques your interest you have something else to read about, to either clarify or strengthen your viewpoint. Also, this makes the book easy to use when dealing with technical material.

This book summarizes the current knowledge about dinosaurs at the time written (1997), and currently there are only eighty professional dinosaur paleotologists in the world. This book is written like professional scientific literature, but that doesn't make it difficult to read. Reading on you will find this book is not without controversy, as vigorus disagreements among the specialists over topics of contention will be found here as they hash out these sharp divergences of opinion.

I must say, that there is some very fine artwork, with bone of skeletons, muscle structure and complete complete fleshed out dinosaurs giving the reader a full grasp of what a dinosar looks like from the inside out. Also, questions as to what dinosaurs ate, how they raised their young, and the question that was the turning point that made the movie Jurassic Park... can we isolate dinosaur DNA are just some of the many questions that have answers in this book.

All in all, the technical jargon is at a minimum and there is a glossary of terms making your reading much more fruitful. I found the narrative easy to read and the information from this book to be exceptional.