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

by Henry Gee (Author), Luis V. Rey (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"One thing must be made clear from the start: this is a work of fiction." Having gotten that admission out of the way at the very beginning of his text, paleontologist Gee, a senior editor at the prestigious journal Nature, goes on to explain that picturing the outsides of dinosaurs known to us only by their bones is inherently an act of imagination, but one based on scientific realities. Did dinosaurs do mating dances? Nobody knows, but many animals do, so perhaps dinos did, too. And since dinosaurs are now believed by many to be the ancestors of birds, it makes sense to imagine them in as wide a range of colors as today's avian species. Each of 56 dinosaur species is presented here through black-and-white sketches of heads and claws and other body parts, and in full-color, full-body paintings that are indeed striking for the range of colors and textures: blues and greens and reds, with speckles and stripes, scales and feathers. Rey, a leading dinosaur artist, pictures his subjects in action, climbing trees, chasing prey, baring their fearsome fangs in habitats ranging from jungle to seaside. At the end of his introduction, Gee returns to the question of veracity-the dinosaurs probably didn't look as pictured here, he admits: "they were far, far stranger." But dinophiles will enjoy this excursion into a vividly illustrated possible past world.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-"One thing must be made clear from the start: this is a work of fiction." So states the first line of the extensive, well-written introduction, and should readers skip it and dive headlong into the sumptuous "field guide," they may take for unshakable fact material that, while based on current findings, is largely extrapolation. Gee discusses a wide variety of topics-fur, feathers, color, an "imagined reality," the dinosaur-bird connection, continental drift, and the nature of the Mesozoic world. A time line, an excellent cladogram, instructions for using the "field guide," and a warning regarding the speculative nature of many of the "facts" presented are included. The "field guide" is divided into the Triassic, Jurassic, Early and Mid-Cretaceous, and Late Cretaceous periods, presenting representative dinosaurs from each one. Rey offers a host of small black-and-white sketches and vividly dramatic, brilliantly colored paintings as well. Many of the selected saurians are the "usual suspects"-T. rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and the like-but a horde of the newest finds, such as Masiakasaurus, Amargasaurus, and Muttaburrasaurus, are also included. As in a standard field guide, a global-positioning map for each dinosaur is included, as is information on description and size and paragraphs on distinguishing features, habits, and habitats. Handsome and engrossing, this book should have a large and appreciative audience, especially among fans of the stunning videos of Walking with Dinosaurs (BBC).
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 1 edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764155113
• ISBN-13: 978-0764155116
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #311,809 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, an updated dinosaur book - REALLY!, August 17, 2003

By	Johannes (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

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!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good alternative view of Dinosaur evolution., January 9, 2007

By	Brandon Perlow "BeePer" (LA ,CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on dinosaurs available., December 15, 2003

By	The Raptor (Lebanon) - See all my reviews

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.