The Ultimate Dinosaur Book [Hardcover]

David Lambert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1993 | Age Level: 11 and up

"The in-depth discussion is matched with excellent-quality full-color photos, diagrams, and illustrations. A superb cache of dinosaur data". -- School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Gone are the days of Holly riding a baby bronto in Land of the Lost and Raquel Welch fending off stop-motion dinosaurs in One Million Years B.C. Whether we're at the movies or in a museum, we want the straight, scientific scoop on dinos--especially if "we" happen to be kids.

Enter the Ultimate Dinosaur Book, a fully illustrated field guide to the Mesozoic. Working with the Natural History Museum in London, publisher Dorling Kindersley has assembled hundreds of color photos, diagrams, and drawings, while enlisting the expert assistance of author David Lambert (winner of both the New York Academy of Sciences Award and the Children's Book Council Award). Beginning with straightforward sections on evolution and dino behavior and physiology (any self-respecting kid should be able to tell a "bird-hipped" dinosaur from a "lizard-hipped" one), the book launches into impressive, illustrated profiles of more than 50 different dinosaurs. From the Theropods to the Marginocephalians, each specimen gets a two-page spread (or more, for the big-name beasties). The profiles will likely teach you a thing or two you didn't know (eight hearts in the Barosaurus?), and a few you did (Stegosauruses regulate heat with their plates, of course), but the book's neatest feature may be its "A to Z of Dinosaurs" in the back: the comprehensive list includes every currently known dinosaur genera, with a pronunciation guide and short description.

With Lambert's precise but friendly text and DK's legendarily clean, evocative graphics, the Ultimate Dinosaur Book is as close as you'll get to a walking tour of the Mesozoic. (And, hey, somebody tell Holly: that was a baby Apatosaurus she was riding.) --Paul Hughes

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-This prodigious volume is thorough in text and illustration. Following the example of the "Eyewitness" series, the in-depth discussion is matched with excellent-quality full-color photos, diagrams, and illustrations. There are cross-sections of interior organs and bone structures, along with exterior views. Some old-fashioned illustrations are included, with explanations as to how the theories they show have been disproved and updated. The book opens with general information: behavior, anatomy, extinction theories, fossilization and excavation, and how remains are restored. Following that are 55 representative profiles and a dictionary of all known dinosaurs. Similar in scope to the Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals (Macmillan, 1988), Lambert's book is more current. It is not a full prehistoric dictionary, but it does mention non-dinosaurs, such as pterosaurs and plesiosaurs. A superb cache of dinosaur data.
Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (September 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156458304X
• ISBN-13: 978-1564583048
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Paleontology > Vertebrate
  • #38 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Dinosaurs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Over all,a perfect book,but a little too outdated!3,5 stars, December 11, 2001

By 

Johannes (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate Dinosaur Book (Hardcover)

When I received this book in 1996,it was the most complete and updated,non-technical book available on dinosaurs,so at that time,much of the information contained was new to me and accurate. After that year,my interest in dinos sank and did not returned until quite recently,so I did not had my eyes focused on paleontology. But when I read about new dinosaur discoveries on the net,like the feathered Sinsauropteryx,the value of this book sank immidiatley.
For example,Seismosaurus is no longer considered the world`s longest dinosaur - it has been replaced by Argentinosaurus. And T-rex is neither considered the world`s largest meat-eater any more - it has been replaced by two others as well.
So,if you want an accurate book,this is not the right one.
It will provide the dinosaur-loving children the wrong information!
But now,I won`t let this review be occupied only by the negative comments. It does have some light sides too!
For example,it provides very usefull information on dinosaur classification. Each group (theropods,sauropods,ornithopods,armored & ceratopians)is presented in detail,with a few species from each,the theropods beeing represented by most. All of the most popular are presented in at least two pages,some times five. Some of those are Iguanodon,T-rex,Triceratops,Stegosaurus,and Apatosaurus.
There are lots of good illustrations of skeletons,as well as drawings of what they might looked like in life,and at last,models of them.There is also some fast facts corner on each dinosaur. Here,the most important facts are covered,like size,when it lived,family and order,distribution,food,etc.
At the back of the book,there is also a quite accurate index of all 638 dinosaur genera described at that time,and if there are any synonyms,like Dynamosaurus,there is always a "=" which refers to the right name of the dinosaur.
So,my final word about this book is,it is great,but wait until there comes out a revised edition before buying it.
But if you want a suitable book,not too childish or not to technical either,this is the perfect one!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Joy to Read, May 22, 2000

By 

Gundam "book lover" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate Dinosaur Book (Hardcover)

I bought the book so that I can teach my 5 year old son more about dinosaurs. He becomes fascinated with dinosaurs after watching Jurassic Park and its sequel Lost World. After reading the book, I found I have learnt a lot. The book, true to what its title claims, is ultimate in that it starts from how the Earth was formed, the periods during which different types of dinosaurs flourished; how the dinosaurs evolved and extinguished; how the fossils were formed through to how they were discovered. It also features classification of the dinosaurs. The colorful illustrations also include the dinosaurs (e.g. Mamenchisaurus which had got the longest neck among all the dinosaurs) unearthed in China.

I have passed on the knowledge to my son who can now identify more than 20 types of dinosaurs and can tell the difference between a Brachiosaurus from a Diplodocus. He has also been able to draw a lively T-Rex. My daughter is just 2 years old and I can't wait for her to grow up so that I can tell her more about dinosaurs.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He still keeps as a bedtime book, June 9, 2000

By 

Sergey (Amsterdam, North Holland Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate Dinosaur Book (Hardcover)

My son has fallen in love with this book at the age of 2 and still (2 years later) it's his favoutite.The quality of illustrations, the lifelike expressions of dinosaur's faces - everything is superb. If you do not mind your kid's fist words to be T.Rex instead of mammy -buy it!