The Complete T. Rex/How Stunning New Discoveries Are Changing Our Understanding of the World's Most Famous Dinosaur [Hardcover]

John R. Horner (Author), Don Lessem (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1993 | ISBN-10: 0671741853 | ISBN-13: 978-0671741853

A look at the Tyrannosaurus Rex discusses the animal's speed, its warm-bloodedness, its dimensions and anatomy, and its gender differences, offering excavation photos and line drawings. 30,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A lavish photo-and-text celebration of everyone's favorite dinosaur. Although paleontologist Horner and science-writer Lessem (Kings of Creation, 1992, etc.) join forces here (as they did on the children's book Digging Up Tyrannosaurus Rex, 1992), this is presented as a first-person account by Horner, covering both his years as a fossil hound and current scientific understanding of T. rex. The authors unfortunately strike an off-the-cuff pose that resembles that of an overeager high-school science teacher: ``We're lucky to have the opportunity to know T. rex, study it, imagine it, and let it scare us. Most of all, we're lucky T. rex is dead. And we're not.'' The new discoveries they trumpet will thrill only the most avid T. rex-philes: that the dinosaur was leaner and more birdlike than previously believed, perhaps a scavenger, with a variable body temperature. But underneath this hype lies a fine popular history of T. rex research, from the earliest discoveries to the most recent find, a nearly complete specimen now sitting in FBI lockup while ownership is sorted out in the courts. With infinite patience, Horner walks us through the tricky stages of excavating and reconstructing a T. rex fossil; details of tyrannosaur anatomy; and ideas about how the beast survived in the ecology of the Cretaceous period. In a science dominated by flamboyant figures, Horner's cool head is notable: Citing the inadequacies of data, he refuses to rule on whether T. rex had depth vision or hunted in packs or cared for its young. Moreover, his few strong opinions are unusually independent: He rejects the popular theory that an asteroid-strike killed off the dinosaurs, and he rails against mounted dinosaur skeletons as misleading--and too expensive. Aggravatingly juvenile at times, but stuffed with T. rex goodies and well-positioned to enjoy some of the run-off from Steven Spielberg's upcoming dino-megaepic, Jurassic Park. (Illustrations--eight pp. color & 72 pp. b&w--and line drawings-- not seen) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671741853
• ISBN-13: 978-0671741853
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,543,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Paleontology > Vertebrate

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the book it could have been, January 12, 2000

By 

Dr. Terry Davis (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete T Rex: New Discoveries Changing Understanding Worlds Famous Dinosaur (Paperback)

Quality, not quantity, Jack. This kind of thing slips out when you begin to believe your own legend. This book could have been so much more if it had not been dumbed-down. Not to kid level, but far enough to be below the level of the average buyer of this book. As it is, it stands in the way of the book that will not now be written, with more info on other members of the tyrannosaur tribe, f'rinstance. You're capable of better. Write fewer, but better books.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extravaganza!!!!!!, March 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete T Rex: New Discoveries Changing Understanding Worlds Famous Dinosaur (Paperback)

I loved this book!!! It has so much info!! Well okay, many books on dinos have tons of info but in this one you don't have to leaf through the whole book before you find the page your looking for. This book has nice artwork to understand more clearly how this, and many other dinosaurs looked like. Very good. If you like dinosaurs, this is the book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!