Dinosaurs: A Concise Natural History [Paperback]

David E. Fastovsky (Author), David B. Weishampel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 052171902X | ISBN-13: 978-0521719025 | Publication Date: January 12, 2009 | Edition: 1

From the authors of The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs comes an introduction to the study of dinosaurs for non-specialists designed to excite readers about science by using dinosaurs to illustrate and discuss geology, natural history and evolution. While focusing on dinosaurs it also uses them to convey other aspects of the natural sciences, including fundamental concepts in evolutionary biology, physiology, life history, and systematics. Considerable attention is devoted the nature of science itself: what it is, what it is not, and how science can be used to investigate particular kinds of questions. Dinosaurs is unique because it fills a gap between the glossy, fact-driven dinosaur books and the higher-level academic books, addressing the paleontology of dinosaurs exactly as professionals in the field do.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I am excited to see that they authors have selected not to overwhelm the student with detail.'
Mark Oiumette, Hardin-Simmons University

'Does an excellent job of explaining cladistics.'
Bill Zinsmeister, Purdue University

'Well written ...the author's sense of humor makes it enjoyable to read; it summarizes most of the important topics in dinosaur paleontology using current information.'
Carol Waddell-Sheets, Canisius College

'This is an outstanding contribution for anyone teaching a course involving dinosaurs... it is reasonably short and very much up to date.'
Sherwood Wise, Florida State University

'It's a nice length - subjects are discussed with the appropriate amount of depth and level of coverage. The writing style and tone is engaging and I like the incorporation of phylogeny.'
David Varricchio, Montana State University

'Very up-to-date information ... superior illustration.'
John Taylor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

"...It's the best fit for my course of any book out there because it's focused less on the dinosaurs themselves and more on how dinosaurs illustrate important lessons in the history of life. ...I'm definitely going to adopt it for my course."
-Dr. J Bret Bennington, Hofstra University

"Dinosaurs remain a "hot" topic....To explore their past world, one needs to have a very good guide. With the publication of the book by Fastovsky & Weishampel, the latter is now available...demonstrates an outstanding degree of comprehensity...an outstanding synthesis of the modern knowledge on dinosaurs."
Dr. Dmitry RubanThe German Geological / Palaeontological Journal

"It is an admirable work, something unlike I have seen in other texts in the field. The 240 page lexicon is elegant and freshly instructive. I find this text compact, self-contained and interesting to read...I recommend it for anyone wishing to have a perspective of Dr. Denn's work in process stability and rheology.
Gibson Batch, Rheology Bulletin

"...well-written, highly visual, engaging, and informative book ... Highly recommended." CHOICE

Book Description

From the authors of Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs comes a new text designed to excite readers about science by using the ever-popular animals - the dinosaurs - to illustrate and discuss geology, natural history, and evolution. Scientific concepts drive the strong narrative - not endless facts and details.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 394 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (January 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052171902X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521719025
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Dinosaurs
  • #21 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Paleontology

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Up to Date and Easy to Read, April 4, 2010

By 

Rene P. S. Bane "rare reviewer" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dinosaurs: A Concise Natural History (Paperback)

I really enjoyed using this book in a college class I took last semester. The pictures and diagrams were very helpful and the text was written in a way which made it easy to read and remember. I intend to keep this book as a reference.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In a class by itself!, November 22, 2010

By 

Corraleno (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dinosaurs: A Concise Natural History (Paperback)

Books on dinosaurs tend to fall into one of two categories: "catalogs" full of color pictures and a little text, marketed to the general public, and college textbooks that presume a background in geology, zoology, and evolutionary biology. Fastovsky & Weishampel have written a concise, accessible, and extremely well-illustrated text that uses the study of dinosaurs to explain evolutionary biology. The tone is scholarly and yet light, even irreverent at times (e.g. Matt Groening's Tree of Life cartoon). Although intended as an intro college text, it's equally useful for high school students and interested amateurs.

The following quote, on the back cover, from Kevin Padian (UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology) sums up the book perfectly:
"...the most comprehensive and useful text on dinosaurs on the market. It's both authoritative and whimsical, providing students with a great background on dinosaurs and on the sciences needed to understand them. It's fun to read and great illustrations, too."

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dinosaur book I was looking for a long time, June 25, 2011

By 

H. C. Stronks - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dinosaurs: A Concise Natural History (Paperback)

I've been searching for a nice dinosaur book for a long time, and Dinosaurs is exactly what I was looking for. A book at an academic level, written by renowned scientists in the field, though not too sophisticated, and avoiding too much detailed information about one specific theme. It's a book with a mission, namely teaching undergrads about dinosaurs from a biological perspective, i.e., from a phylogentic point of view. I'm a PhD in biology, but in a very different field. Because the authors wrote the book for people with some scientific background, but kept the writing lightly, it reads away nicely. A book full of nice pictures made by a talented and famous artist, but centered around the contents of the book, instead of the reverse - a situation encountered in most mainstream books dealing with this subject. It gives a nice perspective and overview on evolution, while still discussing different species, yet without loosing itself in too much detail.