The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt: The Astonishing and Unlikely True Story of One of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Paleontological Discoveries [Illustrated] [Paperback]

William Nothdurft (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0375759794 | ISBN-13: 978-0375759796

In 1911, Dr. Ernst Stromer led an expedition to Egypt’s Bahariya Oasis in the Sahara and discovered four new species of dinosaurs, including the Tyrannosaurus rex–size predator Spinosaurus. But tragically, all his work was incinerated in 1944 during the Allied bombing of Munich.

In 1999, Josh Smith, then a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, took his brilliant, precocious team to Egypt under the direction of world-renowned paleontologist Dr. Peter Dodson and blundered onto an archaeological site that yielded awe-inspiring results: all of Dr. Stromer’s early findings, and also an entirely new genus of dinosaur, Paralititan stromeri, one of the largest creatures ever to inhabit the planet.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The sometimes perilous search for rare dinosaur bones can make for great adventures, as evidenced in The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt.” —Discover

“If you loved Indiana Jones, you’ll adore this tale of two dinosaur hunters whose expeditions to Egypt, separated by nearly a century of warfare and mystery, brought to light what may have been the largest creature that ever walked the earth.” —Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City

“Told deftly and dramatically . . . The tale will keep you riveted as the Smith team unearths Stromer’s lost dinosaurs and the ‘giant near the sea’ rises again.” —The Providence Journal

“Fascinating material.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Fascinating . . . Nothdurft is a science writer who weaves a brilliant and colorful tale.” —Newsday

From the Inside Flap

In 1911, Dr. Ernst Stromer led an expedition to Egypt?s Bahariya Oasis in the Sahara and discovered four new species of dinosaurs, including the Tyrannosaurus rex?size predator Spinosaurus. But tragically, all his work was incinerated in 1944 during the Allied bombing of Munich.

In 1999, Josh Smith, then a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, took his brilliant, precocious team to Egypt under the direction of world-renowned paleontologist Dr. Peter Dodson and blundered onto an archaeological site that yielded awe-inspiring results: all of Dr. Stromer?s early findings, and also an entirely new genus of dinosaur, Paralititan stromeri, one of the largest creatures ever to inhabit the planet.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (September 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375759794
• ISBN-13: 978-0375759796
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,883,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Paleontology > Paleozoology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating story of discoveries and losses., September 21, 2005

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt: The Astonishing and Unlikely True Story of One of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Paleontological Discoveries (Paperback)

The search for dinosaur fossils amid sandstorms and desert heat is anything but dry in this lively story of the excavation in January, 2000, of a site in the western Egyptian desert, partially excavated by Ernst Stromer in 1911, but untouched since then. Nothdurft, a professional writer, working in concert with Josh Smith, the young paleontologist who was the team leader of the January, 2000, dig, tells the stories of both the 1911 and the 2000 excavations, along with the fossil discoveries made by each group.

Stromer, a German aristocrat and meticulous paleontologist, found the fossils of four unique, 95-million-year-old dinosaurs in Bahariya in 1911, spent twenty years analyzing them, and then supervised the fossils' installation at the Bavarian State College of Paleontology and Historical Geology in Munich. In April, 1944, everything was lost in the allied bombing of Munich. The story of Stromer's efforts, now almost forgotten, alternates with that of Smith and his group of young Ph.D's from the University of Pennsylvania, who hope to find additional fossils in the same area in January, 2000.

Financed by a Los Angeles film company making a documentary, the crew ultimately unearths a 80 - 100 ton new dinosaur species, discovering in the process that at least two other equally gigantic dinosaur species shared space with this titan. How this desert area could support three such huge species becomes the question for the geologists on the trip, a mystery which Nothdurft imbues with immediacy and great excitement as they examine the confusing strata for clues.

Nothdurft excels in characterizing the paleontologists and geologists so that the reader can easily imagine participating in the dig along with them. His narrative is fast-paced and full of memorable detail--depictions of Bahariya, with its 130-degree heat and its scorpions, the excitement of the young researchers as they uncover new fossils, and their puzzlement at the paradoxes which unfold. With likeable researchers, and photos and drawings which make their discoveries come alive, this is a wonderful introduction to the challenges of on-site research, the scientific methods of the crew, and the respect with which they regard the past. Ultimately, even the almost-forgotten Ernst Stromer shares in their discoveries. Mary Whipple

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL stories, August 26, 2004

By 

Jennifer Sigman "Opinionated" (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt: The Astonishing and Unlikely True Story of One of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Paleontological Discoveries (Paperback)

In essence, this is two stories about the discovery and then the rediscovery of dinosaur bones in the Western Desert of Egypt. Past and present are skillfully blended together, and the scientific mumbo-jumbo is kept to a minimum. Highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story, October 15, 2011

By 

Timbas - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt: The Astonishing and Unlikely True Story of One of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Paleontological Discoveries (Paperback)

Quite a good story of adventure and retracing the steps of a very interesting man. Can't say I enjoyed the parts about the modern palaeontologists so much to be honest. They get talked up a bit, and weren't of much interest to me personally. I loved the story of Ernst Stromer. I just wish there was a bit more information on the dinosaurs they found in Egypt, and less on the events of the modern team's expedition. That being said, I would have loved to be among them travelling to some remote oasis in Egypt and searching for dinosaur bones. Even more amazing was how Stromer's team made it all the way out there without the modern comforts.

Recommended if you have interests in history and palaeontology, but not enough detail on the palaeontology side, for my liking anyway.