Reading Between the Bones: The Pioneers of Dinosaur Paleontology (Lives in Science) (School & Library Binding)

by Susan Clinton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up. Though paleontology is the study of life from millions of years ago, the field itself is relatively new. Two-hundred years ago, no one knew dinosaurs existed. Through eight detailed biographical profiles of paleontologists, Clinton shows how far the study of ancient life-forms has come. The first chapter covers Georges Cuvier, who was one of the first scientists to speculate what kind of creatures left behind such enormous fossilized bones. Gideon Mantell discovered the Iguanodon and came up with the phrase "The Age of Reptiles." He was followed by Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, who were fiercely competitive about uncovering fossils. More recent figures include Robert Bakker, who believes some dinosaurs may have been warm-blooded, and John Horner, who discovered dinosaurs that cared for their young. The author is frank about some of the less-than-perfect personalities of these men and how their natures influenced their work. There's enough information in each chapter to provide facts for a report, but the book also provides a history of paleontology when read cover-to-cover. The black-and-white photos and reproductions are a bit dark; the bibliography and list of Internet sites will be useful.?Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 6^-10. Clinton carefully documents the discoveries of eight major scientists involved in dinosaur paleontology, but it's the stories of professional jealousy, eccentric behavior, Indiana Jones^-like adventures, phenomenal perseverance, and plain, old scientific genius that make this a wonderful read. The profiles are necessarily brief, but Clinton provides fairly detailed information on how the scientists arrived at their conclusions and how each succeeding generation builds on the knowledge of the past and challenges conventional thinking. Black-and-white photographs, an extensive bibliography, and a list of Internet resources are provided. Chris Sherman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• School & Library Binding: 128 pages
• Publisher: Franklin Watts (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531113248
• ISBN-13: 978-0531113240
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,005,643 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bone Up On The Dinosaur Hunters, January 22, 2002

By	Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Reading Between The Bones: The Pioneers of Dinosaur Paleontology by Susan Clinton is not as good as Pioneers Of Geology, her more recent work written in collaboration with Margaret W. Carruthers [if that one is a 5 star book, this one should get 4.5 stars], but is still a very good book. The book covers an eclectic and excellent selection of paleontologists, starting with Georges Cuvier, the first paleontologist, and concludes with Jack Horner, a model for the paleontologist in the first Jurassic Park movie. I am glad Cuvier is included. Even though Cuvier was the first paleontologist and convinced the scientific community of the validity of extinctions, he is often vilified in geology texts as an unscientific Catastrophist. [This is a misrepresentation of Cuvier and the Catastrophists, who were not unscientific. They were just wrong about certain aspects of Earth history.] The section on Roy Chapman Andrews [a model for Indiana Jones] includes equal billing for Walter Granger, the paleontologist with the Central Asiatic Expeditions, which gives the reader a better idea of what went on during those classic expeditions to the deserts of Mongolia. The book includes a Geologic Time Scale, a good bibliography, and an index, but lacks a glossary. Reading Between The Bones would have benefitted from the subsections and subtitles used in Pioneers of Geology, which made the later book easier to read. My few reservations do not negate the fact that this book should be on the shelves in every elementary school and middle school library in the country and would be a killer gift for the budding dinosaur hunter, especially those who are not ready for the more advanced books written by Jack Horner and others. I recommend you dig up a copy of Reading Between The Bones.