Discovering Dinosaurs in the Old West: The Field Journals of Arthur Lakes [Hardcover]

MICHAEL F. KOHL (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 1997

Dominated by two talented and competitive scientists, O.C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, by the late 1870s, the emerging field of vertebrate paleontology had become a race between their teams of collectors--one of which was headed by geologist Arthur Lakes. This facsimile edition of Lakes' journals recounts the dangers and hardships of scientific research during that exciting time. 13 photos. 24 drawings.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Lakes (1844-1917), an Oxford University alumnus who taught geology at Colorado's School of Mines for more than 20 years, recorded in both words and sketches the discovery of major dinosaur fossils in the wilderness of Colorado and Wyoming between 1877 and 1880. Editor Kohl (special collections, Clemson Univ. Lib.) discovered Lakes's missing journals in the Smithsonian Institution Archives; along with McIntosh (emeritus, physics, Wesleyan Univ.), he aims here to bring the excitement of the discovery of dinosaur remains under rigorous conditions to the general reader of science. The text has been modernized, and maps and inset biographical summaries with portraits are used to clarify locations and persons mentioned in the journal entries. Some of Lakes's watercolors are included as well. Despite the editors' intention, the journals will appeal more to specialists than general readers, who will find John R. Horner and James Gorman's Digging Dinosaurs (LJ 1/89) more riveting and informative.?Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. System, Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian (August 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560987006
• ISBN-13: 978-1560987000
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,151,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique presentation of the original journal entries, July 11, 2002

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discovering Dinosaurs in the Old West: The Field Journals of Author Lakes (Paperback)

Discovering Dinosaurs In The Old West: The Field Journals Of Arthur Lakes, deftly edited by Michael F. Kohl (Amateur paleontologist, Head of Special Collections at the Clemson university Library, and the discovered of Lake's missing journals) and John S. McIntosh (Emeritus Professor of Physics, Wesleyan University and a paleontologist specializing in sauropods), is a unique presentation of the original journal entries from 1877 to 1880 by geologist Arthur Lakes and presented with numerous annotations, clarifications, maps, black-and-white photographs and a great deal more. Enhanced with an informative foreword by John Ostrom (Professor Emeritus of Geology and Geophyiscs, Yale University) Discovering Dinosaurs In The Old West is a superbly presented and invaluable addition to personal, professional, and academic paleontology supplemental reading lists and reference collections.