The Dinosaur Heresies: New Theories Unlocking the Mystery of the Dinosaurs and Their Extinction [Paperback]

Ph.D., Robert T. Bakker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0806522607 | ISBN-13: 978-0806522609 | Publication Date: July 1, 2001

For over a century, dinosaurs have been thought of as plodding, dim-witted giant lizards too awkward and ill-equipped to survive the ravages of environmental change. Bakker offers startling new evidence destined to forever alter the perception of the much-maligned monsters, depicting them as never before imagined: hot-blooded, amazingly agile, and surprisingly intelligent. Illustrations.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Bakker is undoubtedly the controversial and exciting dinosaurologist of the day. His ideas of active, behaviorly complex, warm-blooded dinosaurs have shaken orthodox views and stimulated both public interest and renewed scientific research. In this book he reviews many of his well-known ideas about dinosaur physiology, feeding habits, running ability, taxonomy, and extinction, and offers tidbits on more minor details, e.g., whether dinosaurs had a gizzard. He writes in a colorful, even impassioned prose more akin to political rhetoric than analytic science. While this book lacks the breadth and balanced objectivity of David Norman's excellent The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs (Crescent Bks., 1985), it is nevertheless important and revolutionary. Highly recommended. Walter P. Coombs, Jr., Biology Dept., Western New England Coll., Springfield, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806522607
• ISBN-13: 978-0806522609
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,060,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic popular science, November 20, 2000

By 

I. Westray (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dinosaur Heresies: New Theories Unlocking the Mystery of the Dinosaurs and Their Extinction (Paperback)

Dinosaur Heresies is everything a popular science title should be. This book is a free-wheeling, thought-provoking, incredibly fun jaunt through the range of controversies and rethinkings paleontology has seen in the past twenty years or so.

Robert Bakker, first of all, is probably the best popular science writer I've ever come across. His voice is accessible, full of humor and character, and he writes a lean, sharply-turned argument that's easy and fun to follow without being at all pedantic. You don't think, at all, about the welter of disparate arguments Bakker's making in this book, because he just tells them so darn well, he really does. This book is pure delight for anyone with even a passing interest in dinosaurs.

I will mention, again, that this is a pop science title. It's a summary of the sorts of things that show up in academic articles, and a broad, idea-spinning take on those issues and problems. If, reading some other reviews here, you get the impression Robert Bakker singlehandedly rethought the whole cold-bloodedness thing, well, don't get too carried away. Pop science books don't do that work. Peer-review journals are where the evidence lives, in science, and books like Dinosaur Heresies get the word out to you and me.

I would recommend this as a gift to give anyone twelve or older who has an interest in Dinosaurs. Later on someone may be enthused enough to try Jack Horner, who's slightly less accessible in my experience, and closer to the journal writers than Heresies is. Then, too, reading this book might throw you in all sorts of other directions. (I personally became really excited about prehistoric mammals.) I hate to be hackneyed, but that's what a dazzlingly good popular science book will do; it'll broaden your world and make you remember what curiosity is good for. Dinosaur Heresies does that, in spades. You'll reread it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best dinosaur book ever written., December 18, 1999

By 

grundle2600 "grundle2600" (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dinosaur Heresies: New Theories Unlocking the Mystery of the Dinosaurs and Their Extinction (Paperback)

I've been reading dinosaur books ever since I was a little boy in the 1970s. I remember being fascinated at these creatures that the then "conventional wisdom" said were bulky, obese, overweight, dumb, slow witted, slow moving, cold blooded swamp dwellers. Ha! Our knowledge of dinosaurs sure has come far since then. In this book, Bakker presents a tremendous amount of evidence to challenge many of the popular ideas about dinosaurs. Bakker uses evidence in the fossil record to argue that dinosaurs were warm blooded, active creatures who lived in groups, and migrated, and raised their young, and were capable of running at rather rapid speeds, and who did not live in swamps. Actually, many of these ideas had been proposed during the 19th century, only to be swept under the rug. Bakker revives many of these ideas, as well as coming up with many original ideas of his own. This is an excellent book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, if not always correct, March 8, 2002

By 

Jerald R Lovell (Clinton Township, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dinosaur Heresies: New Theories Unlocking the Mystery of the Dinosaurs and Their Extinction (Paperback)

Any dinosaur enthusiasist should have this book. The text is eminently readable, and many of the proposls made are ahead of their time and thought-provoking. The drawings are excellent and more realistically approximate the probable apppearance of dinosaurs, especially ceratopsins, than any others I've seen.
Bakker is entitled to his occasional displays of hubris given the number of times he has successfully defied convention and been proven correct. However, I cannot agree with his theories regarding extinction of these animals, since the impact theory is simply too compelling in terms of hard evidence. Only for this reason do I not give the book a five star rating. Even so, it is a must read.