With an extensive catalog at its heart, Prehistoric Life profiles hundreds of fascinating species in incredible detail. The story starts in earnest 3.8 billion years ago, with the earliest-known form of life on Earth, a bacteria that still exists today, and journeys through action-packed millennia, charting the appearance of new life forms as well as devastating extinction events. Of course, the ever-popular and endlessly intriguing dinosaurs feature large, but Prehistoric Life gives you the whole picture, and the plants, invertebrates, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals that are the ancestors of today's species also populate its pages, making this book unprecedented in its coverage of prehistory. Specially commissioned artworks use cutting-edge technology to render species in breathtakingly realistic fashion, with astonishing images of prehistoric remains, such as skeletons and fossils, to complete the story. To put all the evidence in context, the concept of geological time is explored, as is the classification of species and how the evidence for their evolution is preserved and can be deciphered.
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From Booklist
Condensing millions of years of life on earth into a 512-page single-volume encyclopedia, this ambitious work presents earth’s history from its formation through the Mesolithic period (Middle Stone Age). Divided into three sections, Prehistoric Life begins with a brief look at “Young Earth.” Two-page spreads examine topics such as plate tectonics, fossils, and the geological timescale. The bulk of the volume discusses “Life on Earth” and is divided by era from the Archean through the Quaternary. Each section introduces the plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates (as applicable) representative of that time period. The final section delves into “The Rise of the Humans” and discusses human relatives, ancestors, origins, and migration patterns. Although a wealth of scientific information is provided, the illustrative material is the star of this volume. The collection of full-color photographs of fossils (ranging from spore to dinosaur) and skeletons show amazing detail and clarity. Visitors to a natural history museum could not explore the number of examples contained here. Where actual photographs are obviously not available, DK commissioned 3-D images, “modeled using scientific research” to bring life-forms to the page for readers. Photographs and other images are accompanied by information about the creature such as name, group, date, and location. Scaled images (of either a thumb, a hand, or a human) are used to help readers visualize actual sizes. Geared to adults, this work will find popularity with science enthusiasts and browsers alike. Because of the relatively low cost, public libraries will likely want more than one copy. High schools with a strong science program will want to consider purchase for their library or science department. --Shauna Yusko
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
83 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
DK has certainly made a name for itself in producing a long line of visually stunning, reference books. Prehistoric Life is a good example of a genre that DK seemed to have invented. The visuals are perfect. DK has some secret printing method that allows its pictures to be excitedly fine textured and vivid. The writing which could be quite pedestrian is well done and done at a adult level. The material is very current and original. It presented material that was totally new to me: the prototaxites on pages 114-115 which look like an eerie spike that was over 26 feet tall and could be either a plant or a fungus. I also liked that DK didn't dwell on dinosaurs (although it has a lot of material about them) but also spent time on plants and invertebrates. At 512 pages it covers a lot of territory. And at the bargain basement price it carries, if you are going to get one book about ancient life, get this book. My only quibble is that the maps showing the distribution of the continents are needlessly simplified. However, that said, I am going to give this my highest recommendation.
46 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is your typical coffee table book from DK Publishers. Massive in size as well as scope, it covers everything from the beginnings of the planet until we settled down and started farming. With breathtaking CG images as well as real pictures of fossils, "Prehistoric Life" will entrance younger members of the family, while its informative text and nicely-arranged narrative will give adults all the prehistory they can handle. What you have here is a high-quality tome, printed on thick, glossy paper. It gives the impression that you should have paid $100.00 or more for it. Quite a value at the price offered here. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This work is a masterpiece. It tells the whole story of our planet, life here and the causes and effects of changes through time. It is both highly scientific and highly visual. It should be the founding text of any life sciences curriculum. I can't put it down.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is one of the most beautiful,informative and spectacular books on Natural History ever made. It deals with everything from the origins of life in the sea to the evolution of man. I am fascinated with the subject. I am especially fascinated with the Natural History of Dinosaurs and yes the book does go into the history but it also takes you back to their origins. Mammals, Insects, Aquatic animals. Just about everything you need to read about the ancient Earth is here. This book is worth alot more than I paid for. Anyone interested in The Natural History of Life On Earth NEEDS to get this book!
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Dino Dan
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
In general I agree with many of the other reviewers. It's a well-illustrated book, discussing each time period, with beautiful photographs of fossils. I also enjoyed how plants were featured, a vital component of any environment, which are frequently shortchanged in these sorts of tomes. There was also detailed information about featured lifeforms, as opposed to the 'Evolution: Story of Life' book, which this has been compared to.
However, unlike others I was not impressed with the CGI illustrations. Few seem very lifelike, some barely 'adequate', and many are in static poses on an unremarkable backdrop (i.e. blue water, green grass, ect). Additionally, there's far too much emphasis on small fossils in the photographs. The giant arthropods of the Paleozoic are barely even mentioned. I suppose it's easier to prominently photograph a half-inch long trilobite rather than a six-foot eurypterid, but to fail to include these remarkable creatures even in CGI reconstruction? Hardly 'definitive'.
Despite these shortcomings, it IS a wonderful book, especially for the pricetag. However, I recommend 'Evolution: Story of Life' as a companion book, as it's better for full environment reconstructions. I purchased both, and the two compliment one another very well.
However, unlike others I was not impressed with the CGI illustrations. Few seem very lifelike, some barely 'adequate', and many are in static poses on an unremarkable backdrop (i.e. blue water, green grass, ect). Additionally, there's far too much emphasis on small fossils in the photographs. The giant arthropods of the Paleozoic are barely even mentioned. I suppose it's easier to prominently photograph a half-inch long trilobite rather than a six-foot eurypterid, but to fail to include these remarkable creatures even in CGI reconstruction? Hardly 'definitive'.
Despite these shortcomings, it IS a wonderful book, especially for the pricetag. However, I recommend 'Evolution: Story of Life' as a companion book, as it's better for full environment reconstructions. I purchased both, and the two compliment one another very well.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
if u are thinking about getting this book, Definitely purchase it! amazing beautiful color pictures with text explaining it all. so great to read through this book with about 2,500 images. if ur interested in fossils, how the earth began, evolution, the emergence of species, anything like that, u must have this book. i paid the full price but i dont even care. this book is so interesting to flip through i cant put it down. def a must have for anyone into science or anyone wanting to learn more about the amazing planet and how we evolved.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Z. Boydte
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was recommended to me by a female friend of mine who is a huge dinosaur buff and can spot a bad dinosaur product a mile away. She said this was a great reference and as a struggling geology and zoology student that I would love it. And she was right! It's a general access book for all ages. I'm 20 and I love. My 40-year-old mother loves it, my 14-year-old brother loves it, and my baby cousin would probably love it too. It doesn't have every single detail about ancient earth (and why would a single book do that), but it does cover ever major geologic era, from the Archean to modern day. Unfortunately, fans of the Hadean era will be disappointed because it still isn't scientific cannon and will not appear in this book. But what is great is that this book isn't just a dino book! There are dinosaurs, but also paleo-plants, insects, sea life, and environmental conditions. There are also maps of what scientists speculate the geography would be on the earth as well. It even takes a non-controversial approach to the evolution of modern humans in its last chapter, taking a brief look at the primates we supposedly came from. The illustrations in this book are also a plus. They are full color, big, vibrant, scientifically accurate, and just plain fun to look at!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another excellently illustrated book from DK Publishing
This book has been wonderful to give the overall narrative of the evolution of prehistoric life. From the earliest Precambrian to the Cenozoic, it is lavishly illustrated with... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Teri Gee
5.0 out of 5 stars
love it
I'm a geologist and I really like this for fun reading and to help teach my nieces. They love the pictures. Its a really well organized book
Published 1 month ago by Gracie Crisler
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic book
very well put together , very good for the laymen. logical approach to the subjact,diagrams and pictures appropriate.glad I bought it.
Published 1 month ago by rolf kane
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!!!!!!!!
This book fully deserves all the 5-star reviews. For anyone interested in ancient lifeforms, this is the indispensable book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by B. Browne
5.0 out of 5 stars
an awesome experience
To go back billions of years and consider the vast seas covering a very different Earth and witness in the text and pictures the emergence of life, the wholesale destruction of... Read more
Published 2 months ago by govert a. croes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
It is a great graphical encyclopedia of the history of life. Beautiful pictures and detailed context make it a book to be used as an encyclopedia and also every day reading.
Published 2 months ago by Vahid
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Lifesaver is "Prehistoric Life: The Definitive Visual History of...
This volume is a very good resource for the overwhelming theme: history of earth and its life. The focus on "Young Earth" is a good introduction to Earth's formation 4. Read more
Published 2 months ago by scribbler
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scientific Art
Or, artistic science. I purchased this as thank you for a scientist friend. He loved it. His father loved it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Monk Seal
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
great product I loved it it was very informative and a great present for my grandson. I had lots of facts that he enjoyed reading.
Published 3 months ago by Jaquetta Wells
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good book
Includes all prehistoric lives until early humans. Good pictures and illustrations, brief but complete, it is a good quick read.
Published 3 months ago by nicole
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