Customer Reviews

A Field Guide to Dinosaurs: The Essential Handbook for Travelers in the Mesozoic

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I own over a dozen books that are supposed to be "up-to date field guides to dinosaurs". But none of them can ever compare to this. Most other books like this are scientifically inaccurate by now. For example, they show velociraptors with scaly skin, like those seen in "Jurassic Park". BBC's "Walking With Dinosaurs" was supposed to be updated, but many dinosaurs looked horribly inaccurate. This book is written by an authoritative author and lavishly illustrated by, in my eyes, the most talented dinosaur artist alive today. It has everything that "Walking With Dinosaurs" didn't had. It is full of awe-inspiring illustrations of dinos in action. The dinosaurs look so frighteningly realistic you almost think you've been taken back to the age of reptiles. But these dinos don't look like reptiles. They occupied the same niches as elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, and wolves does today. Therefore, the authors have also carefully studied modern wildlife to make these interpretations of the prehistoric creatures. For example, the sail-backed meat-eater Spinosaurus could actually have looked more like a 40-foot pelican than the dragon seen in "Jurassic Park III". And Velociraptor probably looked like a sharp-toothed fish eagle with claws on its wings!The book provides amazing new looks on well-known dinosaur species like Stegosaurus, Diplodocus and T-rex, as well as some of the most recent and bizarre discoveries, such as the funny-looking Masiakasaurus, the smallest dinosaur Microraptor and the dawn tyrant lizard, Eotyrannus. The book begins with a short introduction to dinosaurs, and on page 30, the field guide begins. It is divided by period and continent. Each dinosaur is presented with several color and b/w sketches, a short description, size, and possible behaviour of the dinosaur. Of course, the behaviour is just based on guesses, but it's an interesting read. The images makes this book more than a field guide - it's a true art book. It makes you want to start drawing dinosaurs yourself, or write stories from the mesozoic. I'm currently planning an upcoming dinosaur comic book, and a lot will be based on the look and behaviour of the dinosaurs presented in this book.
Over all, this is by far the best general dinosaur book I've ever read. Packed with facts, and lavishly illustrated, this book is a must have for anyone who's interested in dinosaurs. For the laymen, it is a fantastic journey into a lost world. And all paleontologists, buy it for the artwork!I promise you, it's worth it!

As an fx artist/ illustrator I need to have the best reference available. This book goes to a more bird like view of look of dinosaurs. Very nice illustrations, but I would have liked to see more anatomical and comparitive
data.

This shouldnt be used a main reference book, but as a supplement to other dinosaur material.

Still highly recommended.

As a fan of Luis Rey - the greatest paleoartist today - I can't say this review is totally unbiased. However, this does happen to be the best book on dinosaurs I've ever seen - and I've seen quite a few, believe me.
A brief summary: authors Henry Gee and Luis V Rey begin with an introduction on dinos, the Mesozoic, and paleontology in general, as well as present a warning that this is a work of fiction. This is just as well, since the dinosaurs depicted in the rest of the book - the field guide - are startlingly realistic looking and are given many external features that usually do not fossilize. Some are genuine new discoveries, such as Psittacosaurus's porcupine quills; others are based on reasoning and educated guesses, as well as a good dash of imagination.
And that's where the book excels. One thing is for sure: dinosaurs looked nothing like out popular image of them. They had feathers, fleshy crests, elaborate nasal passages...all of which would have been unheard-of only a decade or two ago. This is bolstered by the fantastic dinos of the Yixian formation. Dinosaurs, as Gee comes back to at the end of the intro, were "far, far weirder", but this is probably as close to reality as you can get. These agile and colorful animals make the dinos in Jurassic Park and Walking with Dinosaurs look positively naked and monochrome. The selection of dinos is not exhaustive, but is exemplary, featuring such standbys as Triceratops, T-rex, Diplodocus, Stegosaurus and Deinonychus, as well as new dinosaurs such as Masiakasaurus from Madagascar and the spectacular 4-winged Microraptor. Many come as revelations to older generations used to Knight and Zallinger's tail-dragging drab dinosaurs.
The format, as a field guide, is the most original take yet on a very much alive subject. The descriptions on behavior are just educated guesses, as I said, and may appear a little exaggerated
at times, but the animals of today are just as weird, only we take them for granted. And after all, unlike every other dinosaur book, unlike Jurassic Park and Walking with Dinosaurs, this book warns its readers at the beginning.
All in all, this is indeed the newest, most exciting, most original, most indispensable book on dinosaurs in print. I strongly recommend it to anyone with an interest in these magnicent animals, be you 5-year old child or professional paleontologist.

See all my reviews on dinosaur books.

The "Field Guide to Dinosaurs" by Henry Gee is an average beginner book; the information is thin and questionable. Even the author apologises about this in his introduction: "We'll finish with a warning to the reader: Those who choose to believe what follows do so at their own risk". However, the dinosaurs it covers is very up-to-date.

Set out in the typical beginner-book fashion: initial pages (about 15) providing a context followed by dinosuar profiles; the 'field guide' presents a chronological perspective beginning in the Triassic and ending in the Cretaceous. Saddly, the information on each dinosaur stretches only so far as
* Description (for example - "Medium to large theropod")
* Length
* Distinguishing Features
* Habit and Habitat. About 200 words per dinosaur.

But what is unfortunate is the provocative style of writing backed up with no evidence. Take Allosaurus for instance: "The most common species, Allosaurus fragilis, generally shows a mottled yellow-green "combat camouflage" pattern on the back, neck, and tail and is a dull gray on its limbs and underparts...Males and females look very similar and are notable for their general lack of plumage or ostentatious scale ornamentation - presumably an adaptation to streamlined pursuit. The exception is observed during the brief springtime breeding season, when males assume luxuriant plumage, including showy crests and wattles, and long, vaned feathers on the forearms and tail." Allosaurus has been the most commonly found fossil, and there has been absolutely no evidence whatsoever for feathers. Also, it is not closely related enough to the dromeosaurs (the usual suspects) to have feathers; there are a number of species inbetween allosaurs and dromeosaurs that don't have feathers, so why would you draw an allosaurus with feathers?

If you are looking for something scientific, this isn't it. There is no balance in arguments, there is just one side given and its not backed up with any evidence. It is OK to speculate, but there needs to be a more concrete basis for doing so. Speaking as a science teacher, it is important for children to receive information that is scientifically accurate, that is, theory that is backed up with observational evidence, or alternatively; balanced argument based on inference, neither of which this book provides.

Rey is an excellent paleoartist. I especially like his pencil sketches. However, he has some provocative illustrations in this book. For example, the feathered Allosaurus I mentioned earlier and a furry juvenile T-rex. But I guess we were warned in the introduction. He is implying that all dinosaurs are colourful, but if we look at the animals and birds alive today what fraction are actually really colourful? A very small number - most are gray or brown.

Overall, this is an average beginner dinosaur book. I prefer the slightly older "Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia" by Burnie; it has the most accurate and informative information of all the beginner books, but was published in 2001. So, the question you must consider is whether or not you want up to date dinosaurs with inferior information (this book) or really accurate information without having the most up to date dinosaurs? Unfortunately, there isn't a perfect beginner book.

It is hard to say any thing bad about this book. This book is up-to-date and to the point, with many new discoveries and its accurate, giving dinos feathers and bright colors(if i must have an opinion, i like chapter three the most which contains my favorite family, Spinosauridae!). I justy think some of these ideas are just too plain far-fetched. Incuding
1. Suchomimus being wholly aquatic
2. Scipionyx being all females
3. Psitticasaurus being poisinous
4. Acrocanthasaurus having the sail developed by bacteria
5. Eotyrannus eating Hypsys for algae that makes their heads big
P.S. I really love the sketches of Spino and the drawing of poor Suchomimus getting eaten by fictional Croc Chthonosuchus lethei

Colorful and imaginative artwork set within a well designed format make this book standout in a crowded category. I found Rey's smaller "field" sketches of dinosaur behavior more interesting than his polished color illustrations. Even with their inventiveness, the sketches seem more like the observations of a naturalist, and as such support the books' unique "Field Guide" concept. In my opinion, the color illustrations make too much use of extreme fish-eyed foreshortening which tends to push the subject matter into a pop-culture presentation. Small matter, because the entire book is well done, and should appeal to anyone who enjoys dinosaurs, illustration, or book design.

Until the publication of A FIELD GUIDE TO DINOSAURS, most texts on Mesozoic life generally portrayed dinosaurs through a monochromatic hue, with the only visual differences relating more to shades of drab gray green than to striking color contrasts. Authors Henry Gee and Luis V. Rey and a host of superbly talented artists have collaborated to produce a text that shows dinosaurs in a manner that is sure to produce the next generation of paleontologists. For those who have attended the Smithsonian in Washington DC or the American Museum of Natural History, the richly colored drawings of this guide resonate with images of the very best of those museums. The dinosaurs of this text reflect a melding of artistic imagination with the latest theories of dinosaur anatomy. It has long been posited that dinosaurs and birds have shared a genetic link, yet this link has been downplayed as not extending much beyond the flying bird-like Archaeopteryx. Gee and Rey now suggest that this link runs much closer to the bone than had been previously been thought. Both authors write of dinosaurs who share both color and feathers. They note that if both dinosaur and bird share hip and joint similarities, then it is not far fetched that they might also share the variegated colorings that mark many avian species.

Gee and Rey open with an extended discussion of the bird dinosaur link amidst a not so grudging admission that their text "is a work of fiction" and "not a scientific document." This is a humbling admission since it may well take several decades of paleontological fossil hunting for vindicating evidence to turn up. The authors include a number of relevant asides ranging from the low liklihood of finding fossils to the painfully slow shifting of the Mesozoic supercontinent of Pangea. What I found especially useful was a color chart that handily depicts a key to dinosaur evolution. Most ten year old dinosaur aficionados know that dinosaurs belong to either of two orders--the bird-hipped Ornithischia or the lizard-hipped Saurischia. Yet, not even many of these future Jurassic Park specialists can further divide both orders into their interconnected suborders. Gee and Rey make such a visual connection a simple and eye appealing task. For those readers who expect to see dinosaurs right out of Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK, this field guide opens up a world of possibilities that depict these Mesozoic denizens as fully fleshed sentient creatures fully capable of evincing a wide variety of facial expressions.

This is not to say that I did not find any fault. I was distressed at the print of the words. The typecast used was shockingly light gray. I found that when I read for more than a brief time, my eyes began to lose focus. Further, there was far too much use of cursive writing in teeny-tiny script that complicated my enjoyment. I was further surprised by the authors' assertion that they were not convinced that the end of the dinosaurs began with the impact of an asteroid with the earth at the end of the Cretaceous. Still, the text is such a visual treat for both the eyes and the soul that I intend to return to specially remembered drawings, even if my eyes begin to lose focus after a few minutes.

Very good book. Pictures really help. Artwork is excellent and brings these ancient creatures to life. Decsriptions are short, easy to read and understand. Love the "locations found" world chart. This book will inspire the paleo artist in you to look at dinosaurs with a fresh "colorful" prespective. The dinosaur info and art is up to date. This book has sold well in our fossil stores. One young future palentologist who came into our Drumheller, Alberta Canada store says he takes it everywhere with him. To me the fact that it inspires as well as informs means it should receive a 5 rating out of 5.

The style of this book is interesting. Along with detailed illustrations, there are many quick style sketches, reminding me of journals carried by early explorers and naturalists. This is possibly the most original dinosaur book ever put together.

This is hands down the best dinosaur book out there. Even I, an avid dino artist and researcher, was astounded by the incredible illustrations and the fanciful descriptions of the dinosaurs lives. I am so glad that somebody has finally stopped drawing pictures of featherless raptors, and realized that these amazing creatures weren't just giant green lizards. I love the way that Luis Rey (the artist of the book)incorporates birdlike qualities into the dinosaurs that he draws and paints. I mean, his raptors look more like giant turkeys with teeth and claws than the sterotypical green swamp beasts. I also thought that the little charcoal sketches of the anatomy and habits of the dinos was a very neat addition. But I have not even touched on the actual writing in the book. At the beginning there is a very interesting preface that provides an overview of dinosaurs as well as an explanation of their evolutionary ties to birds. The whole book is set up as a field guide, detailing the lives and habits of different dinosaurs as if you could travel back to their time. I like the fact that the author gives the dinosaurs many fanciful habits and features, not like conventional books where they tell you about when it was discovered, how big it was, blah, blah, blah.... These strange and wonderful adaptations that they give to the dinosaurs in this book are only educated guesses, but they give the book flair and uniqueness that sets it apart from the crowd.