Dinosaurs: The Textbook [Paperback]

Spencer George Lucas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0072528052 | ISBN-13: 978-0072528053 | Edition: 4

Dinosaurs: The Textbook is a monument to our present understanding of these wonderful creatures. It is a book that will take the student on a journey through nearly every aspect of dinosaur biology, geology, and the history of their discovery. It is a text that presents facts together with current ideas, notions, and controversies. Dr. Lucas presents dinosaurs as successful, living creatures that were merely different in appearance from animals living today.

Dr. Lucas has written a comprehensive book that is easily read and understood by students with little scientific background - a book that teaches students not only how to use scientific methods, but how to synthesize data to create their own ideas. In contrast with many dinosaur books from the past, Dr. Lucas, although indicating his own views, allows students the opportunity to think for themselves.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 4 edition (March 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072528052
• ISBN-13: 978-0072528053
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #828,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Dinosaurs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dinosaurs the textbook, August 22, 2001

By 

Fay Simms (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dinosaurs: The Textbook (Paperback)

I have used two editions of this book as one of the texts for a general vertebrate paleontology course. The class, organismic biology majors, with some secondary science, PE., elementary education and geography majors, liked the clear writing, statement of objectives, and reviews of each chapter. Diagrams were also clear. It perhaps needs more background on plate tectonics, stratigraphy/sedimentation and extinction/bird origins.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction to the study of Dinosaurs, October 1, 2008

By 

Christopher E. Naujok (Hudson, WI United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dinosaurs: The Textbook (Paperback)

This book is a basic introduction to the study of dinosaurs. It briefly covers the history of paleontology in general and of dinosaur paleontology specifically. The reader will learn what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur, and why other reptiles aren't. It covers the major divisions of dinosaurs with brief descriptions of all of the large subgroups. If you're looking for a book that will get you beyond general audience level without requiring years of other studies to understand, this will be a good choice.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for non-science majors, May 22, 2008

By 

A. Yonan - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dinosaurs: The Textbook (Paperback)

I teach a course about Dinosaur biology at a local community college and this textbook is exactly what we need for this type of course. This text allows me to teach science to students who think that science is boring or too hard. Although I have added a lot of scientific thinking on top of this text, the book itself does introduce students to thinking like a scientist by presenting both sides of an argument - for example what caused Dinosaurs to go extinct. The text allows me to teach both sides, all the facts behind each, and to allow the students to draw their own conclusions.