Dinosaurus: The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs (Hardcover)

by Steve Parker (Author) "THE PALAEOZOIC ERA SAW THE EARLY KINDS OF ANIMALS THAT POPULATED OUR WORLD, FROM WORMS AND JELLYFISH IN THE SEA TO THE FIRST CREATURES THAT..." (more)
Key Phrases: other stegosaurids, hollow head crests, other ceratopsians, North America, Late Cretaceous Main, Theropoda Length (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Parker's Dinosaurus is magnificent in its breadth and illustration. Arrangement is by group, and 500 dinosaurs are described. Each entry includes an illustration and brief information about the dinosaur's discovery and characteristics. Each entry also includes a "Dino Factfile" containing data on scientific name with pronunciation and meaning, location, size, diet, and time period. The luscious illustrations include photographs of fossils and of living animals related to the dinosaur or artistic renderings. The volume concludes with chapters on nondinosaur creatures of the dinosaur age and evolution since then. The end matter contains maps of main fossil sites, a list of museums, and a glossary. The text is better suited to older readers; younger children will be fascinated by the pictures. Compares favorably to Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z [RBB D 15 03] and The Dinosaur Atlas [RBB Mr 1 04]. All three books describe the work of paleontologists and the excitement of discovery. Depending on the popularity of the subject in a particular community, all three should be purchased. RBB
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Review
Attractive drawings, well-designed graphic snapshots and accessible language. -- Mary Ann Gwinn, Seattle Times 12/10/2003

Informative and fun. -- Bruce Dancis, Sacramento Bee 11/30/2003

Large, vivid illustrations grace every page and accompany data indicating how dinosaurs lived. -- Science News 12/06/2003

Lavishly illustrated, this hefty book proves again why dinosaurs are so enduringly fascinating to so many. -- Marc Horton, Edmonton Journal 12/21/2003

Magnificent in its breadth and illustration. Arrangement is by group, and 500 dinosaurs are described. -- Booklist / RBB 03/01/2004

Nice little factoids make this a winner... A great timeline from 540 million years ago to the present is fun. -- Princeton Times of Trenton 12/07/2003

Not only lists and illustrates 700 known dinosaur species, but also puts dinosaurs into context. -- Kim Covert, Canadian Press 12/03/2003

The dinosaurs in this encyclopedia are remarkably lifelike creatures... accessible, nontechnical text... Each entry includes an ingenious fact file. -- Amy Brunvand, Library Journal 12/01/2003

The paintings of the creatures in motion are riveting (and sometimes a little scary). -- Mary Ann Grossmann, St Paul Pioneer Press 11/23/2003

The subtitle -- The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs -- is no lie... information and illustrations and reconstructions of everything. -- Tom Oleson, Winnipeg Free Press 12/07/2003

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books (October 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552977722
• ISBN-13: 978-1552977729
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #179,744 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dinosaurus: The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs, September 14, 2004

By	Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"Dinosaurus: The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs" written by Steve Parker is a wonderful text about how the comtemporary view is of the 500 dinosaurs within the pages of this book. "Dinosaurus" is comprehensive to say the least, contemporary, innovative, and is unique in the portrayal of how these dinosaurs lived their lives from flesh-eaters, to egg-stealers, and to the plant eaters. this book covers and extensive array of they animals that we've become to know more about due to new digs and research.

"Dinosaurus" incorporates the latest thinking as to how the listed dinosaurs lived out their lives and eventually died. This book is a challange to the latest thinking on habit and habitat, making for very intertesting reading. When dealing with dinosaurs, perhaps the only certainty to the fact is change. More and more people are lending their collective knowledge to the study of paleontology and we are getting a truer picture of what these animals presumablely looked like from the skeletal remains. With the advent of forensics being applied to paleontology more information is being gleamed for the digs when remains are now found.

The number of kinds, or species, of animals, plants and other living things in existance today exceeds 10 million. While insects are the vast majority. There are some main subgroups of invertebrates which include nearly 100,000 species. With this in mind remember that 99 out of 100 kinds of living things that have ever existed are no longer around. They form a vast array of life that have appeared and then disappeared on the planet.

There is a unique fold out for the different eras and the subgroups of time within them... giving the reader a chronological breakdown of when life started and flourish and different times during the past to the present, and there are examples of the life that existed in these time periods. The classification of some 400 genra of dinosaurs, and of several species within many of these genra, is a terrific achievement in relation to a group of animals only known to us via a fossil record.

I found this book to be enthralling and kept my interest till the end with all the latest information incorporated in the drawing of the dinosaurs and what we precieve them to look like. The principal evidence for the existence of dinosaurs and other long-gone living things comes from fossils, as these are the remains of organisms, or the traces they left.

"Dinosaurus" has dinosaurs from North America(Wyoming, Montana, and Alberta), Eurasia, Australia, South America, and Africa. What has made dinosaurs ever more interesting in recent years are the many studies that have centered on the companion of these creatures and their respective enviorments, which they lived during the Mesozoic Era.

"Dinosaurus" has fifteen chapters making of a very comprehensive book. Covering Early life, Conquerors of the Land, The First Dinosaurs, The Small Meat-eaters, The Great Predators, Ostrich Dinosaurs, The Giants, The Bird-foot Dinosaurs, The Duckbills, The Boneheads, The Armored Dinosaurs, The Plated Dinosaurs, The Horned Dinosaurs, Other Creatures of the Dinosaur Age, And Afterthe Dinosaurs. There are listings of the Main Fossil Sites and Where to Find Dinosaurs, and very well-appointed glossary, and an Index for easy location of the dinosaur you're looking for.

I would highly recommend this book to the novice and the well season fossil hunter and it give clues as ato what this vast array of creatures looked like. The classification of some 400 genra of dinosaurs, and of several species within many of these genra, is a terrific achievement and should be read by all enthusists. The illustrations really make the book come to life and make the book very interesting.

"Dinosaurus" is a solid 5 star book and should be enjoyed by all with an interest in dinosaurs and their habitat and the is a dino-factoid with every species that gives the actual size to a common human's height and some of the giants are huge, while others are no bigger that the average cat or dog.

You'll get some interesting perspectives reading this book about dinosaurs that you haven't seen elsewhere.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Big Dinosaur Book!!!! A True Dinosaur Bible!!!!, March 23, 2004

By A Customer

Dinosaurus is certainly a great big book with lots of dinosaur images and simple text to read. You can learn so much about dinosaurs and other animals that live before, during and after them in this book. In fact, I honestly am an expert on dinosaurs. I have been this way ever since I was a young girl. This book, among all the others I have read and enjoyed, will totally keep my dinosaur wisdom refreshed and well informed. It's Simply one of the best!!!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars +++, March 23, 2005

By	effcat - See all my reviews

i've gone through a lot of dinosaur titles trying to find the absolute perfect one, and Dinosaurus is pretty much it. the format is great-- one dinosaur per page with accompanying facts/habits/size, etc.-- and the pictures are convincing and scary enough to satisfy all. for people who used to be dinosaur-loving kids (or, for that matter, still ARE dinosaur-loving kids) this is absolutely super plus excellent.