Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Life in the Triassic (Life of the Past) (Hardcover)

by Nicholas Fraser (Author), Douglas Henderson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
""Forget Jurassic Park...If you want to know the whys and wherefores, this is the book for you. . ." -- BBC Wildlife

". . . Part coffee table book and part scientific tome... is a harmonious blend of well-written science and jaw-dropping art that together recreate the Triassic world. . . ." -- Fossil News, April 2007

". . . pulls off the balancing act between providing reliable information and a comprehensible story that is easily understood by non-academics." -- Lab Times, February 2007

Review

"Forget Jurassic Park -- the really interesting dinosaur story happened during the 'Triassic Park' era, a period 251--199 million years ago that followed life's biggest extinction event. If you want to know the whys and wherefores, this is the book for you..." -- BBC Wildlife

"Fraser (curator, vertebrate paleontology, Virginia Museum of Natural History) has prepared a serious work on Triassic paleontology... A refreshing approach in a market saturated with 'just so' stories and sanitized tales of evolution." -- Choice

"The text, by Nicholas Fraser... pulls off the balancing act between providing reliable information and a comprehensible story that is easily understood by non-academics.... [an} impressive book." -- Lab Times

"... [T]here is a widespread perception that most Triassic terrestrial environments were parched deserts that were almost devoid of life.... Nick Fraser's book is a welcome antidote to this situation, providing the most comprehensive account of life, and death, in the Triassic that is currently available to a popular audience." -- Geological Magazine, Volume 146/1 - 2009

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (October 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253346525
• ISBN-13: 978-0253346520
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #274,704 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Intermediate-Level Look at the Roots of Modern Life, November 28, 2006

By	Edward F. Strasser "Éad" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Based on the product page, I couldn't be sure this book wasn't just another dinosaur picture book. But Douglas Fraser specializes in Triassic vertebrates, so I figured he would include some solid information. Dawn of the Dinosaurs exceeded my hopes. The focus is on vertebrates and there are descriptions of many of them, but plants, invertebrates, the physical environment, and climate are also covered.

Fraser opens by describing the early Triassic landscape. It is often said that the Triassic was hot and arid, but Fraser also tells of more hospitable environments, some home to amphibians and crocodile-like animals. There is an overview of the animals, especially the vertebrates, and the plants that supported them. The rest of the book goes chronologically through the Triassic, with sections devoted to various geographic locations in each period.

There are many animals named here, far more that a reasonable person can memorize. My approach was not to try to remember names, but to get an idea of the diversity in the various environments. It is necessary, however, to know some of the groups of animals. For example, the ornithodira were the pterosaurs and dinosaurs and their unique common ancestors. To keep track of these I looked up some in Google, and I printed off cladograms from [..]

There is quite a bit of specialized vocabulary, especially regarding vertebrate anatomy and the time divisions within the Triassic. Some of this is found in the glossary and in the appendices. I suggest that you go to the appendices before reading the book and make sure you are familiar with the material. I also found myself looking up a number of words on the web.

Despite the specialized vocabulary, I would not say this is an advanced book. There are no difficult concepts here, no obscure principles and no mathematics. It may take time to absorb the vocabulary, perhaps more than one reading, but someone with a modest knowledge of ancient life can follow it. And it is worth it because, as far as I can tell, this very important period in the history of life is not well represented in popular media. There are explanations of such things as how to tell a dinosaur ancestor from a crocodile ancestor and how animals interact with each other and with their environments. There are also explanations of debates among paleontologists, showing the evidence and arguments they use. Thus it goes beyond a mere catalog of animals and that is why I ccall it "intermediary".

One section of the book is titled "The Birth of Modern Terrestrial Ecosystems" and it's very appropriate. The mass extinction at the end of the Permian had wiped out nearly all animal life and, unlike Noah's flood, this catastrophe left no boat filled with millions of animals ready to repopulate the earth. The few survivors grew in numbers and diversified and by the end of the Triassic there were new ecosystems very different from those before the crash. I'm not saying that you should regard Triassic animals as merely transitional forms on their way to becoming modern. Nature doesn't work that way. They thrived because they were well suited to their times and places. It's just that the world they created is very much the one we live in today.

While this is not primarily a picture book, I have to say that Douglas Henderson has created a number of attractive pictures which illustrate the text well.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Triassic triumph, May 30, 2007

By	Calvin Olson "chess expert and freelance proo... (Vallejo, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The creatures of the Jurassic and Cretaceous-the dinosaurs we are most familiar with-are those we most encounter in books. There are few that deal with the Triassic landscape and its beasts.
Nicholas Fraser has created, within the covers of this book, a veritable Triassic Park for the reader to wander through. Within the 307 pages of this book are numerous line drawings, color photographs of fossil impressions, and color paintings that restore the animals to life and place them in a natural setting that allow you to explore their world in your imagination.
This is not, however, a children's book. It explores the natural world through its geology, climate, and animal and plant life. It has appendices giving some of the geologic correlation charts, an overview of sedimentation, basic taxonomy (the new cladistics, of course), and very simple vertebrate anatomy. It also has a short glossary. But, these still do not give everything needed to read the text easily. The book expects some familiarity with basic geology, zoology, and botany. An overview of the history of life and general paleontology is also helpful, but not necessary.
With warnings in mind, you do not have to have extensive knowledge to enjoy this book. The pictures alone are worth the price of the book. Even those readers who have extensive knowledge of the period will love reading this book. Its chronological approach to covering the organisms through early, middle and late Triassic time makes it read like an enchanting story.
If you really want to know about and understand the early history of the dinosaurs and their contemporaries, you definitely want this book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Animals Populate the Land, January 17, 2007

By	J. James Murray - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dr. Fraser provides the reader with a sweeping view of the plants and animals of early palaeozoic times. This is not a gee-whiz book for children, but for the serious student of the past it provides a wealth of detailed information. Dr. Fraser is actively engaged in the acquistion and study of fossils from this period, and his enthusiasm comes across in lively prose. Highly recommended for university students.