Natural History Museum Book of Dinosaurs

by Tim Gardom, Angela Milner

For 160 million years, dinosaurs were the most successful and diverse creatures to dominate the Earth. This book is based on the world-famous fossil collections and permanent Angela Milner is Head of Fossil Vertebrates at The Natural History Museum.

Genres: Dinosaurs, Science, Natural History, History, Nature

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 1993

Reviews

[Sophie Crane]

Easily one of the best dinosaur books. It contains much of the contemporary thought from palaeontological circles, and bridges the gap between basic "children's" books and more serious palaeontology books.

[Khushi]

there was a point in my childhood when i could reiterate this book word for word...

[Herman Diaz]

My favorite serious dino book ( www.amazon.com/review/R2URWS93D4PO4C/... ): 5/5

Of all my serious dino books ( www.goodreads.com/list/show/198241.My... ), Gardom/Milner's "The Natural History Museum Book of Dinosaurs" (henceforth History) is definitely my favorite. The quote at the end of this review sums up why. There are 2 analogies that I think best describe History: 1) A more family-friendly version of Sampson's "Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life" ( http://palaeoblog.blogspot.com/2009/1... ); 2) The "Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries" exhibition in book form ( www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibit... ). If I could, I'd give History an extra half star for being extra authoritative. My only gripes are the maniraptoran reconstructions in Chapters 1-9 (all of which have scaly skin &/or bunny hands) & the writing in the middle of Chapter 10 (which isn't as good as that in the beginning or end of Chapter 10). 2 more things of note: 1) Chapter 10 is basically an updated version of Milner's "Dino-birds: From Dinosaurs to Birds"; 2) The NHM keeps updates on "The Dino Directory" when parts of History become outdated.

"Taking fossil records as its evidence, "The Natural History Museum Book of Dinosaurs" treats dinosaurs as a group of living animals, making frequent reference to today's animals as a basis for comparison. This popular approach not only accurately mirrors the methods used by palaeontologists in studying dinosaurs, but also satisfies the overwhelming curiosity of people to know what dinosaurs were like when alive. Unlike an encyclopedia, a data book or even a learned exposition, this book is designed to be read from start to finish as the developing story of a remarkable group of animals. The book's direct, clear written style, with all unfamiliar names and technical terms clearly explained, and extensive illustrations make it an ideal introduction to dinosaurs for the older child or adult" ( www.amazon.co.uk/Natural-History-Muse... ).

[Josef]

This book is chock full of information on dinosaurs and prehistoric life in general (but mostly dinosaurs). It's impressively covered ten different base topics, and touches on the relation from dinosaurs to birds to people. It's a bit all over the place, which can be hard for those who want to take notes on the topic without getting distracted. For example, in one chapter which discusses feeding behaviors, there is a small image with information on the bone of an Apatosaurus and what it had been mistaken for some fourty years ago. This doesn't really have anything to do with feeding behaviors, but I guess the authors needed to fill space.

On the topic of images and filling space, though, this is a book stocked with images. They are of amazing quality. Every drawing is easy to understand and full of life, it depicts things very well and almost every image has a digestable caption.

My favorite discussed material in this book is the history of dinosaurs and people. Some super funny theories that were once composed and popular, and many drawn out for easy understanding. Previous iterations of dinosaurs that have since been disputed.

I love the attention to detail and the supporting evidence for most if not all approaches to dinosaur behavior, relationships, etcetera. It allows readers to be open-minded about things that we as people are uncertain of. Although, there is limited evidence for less popularized arguments. I understand why this is and it does bother me personally.

At the end of the day I would give this book a solid 3.5/5. It is the perfect book for a younger person to be introduced to dinosaurs, but a bit disorganized for my taste. It encompasses the world of these creatures beautifully, but it is not a book for those who are looking for specifics. If you are looking for a specific topic to study, or just dipping your toes in the water, this is the book for you. It addresses wildly different subjects and may help you find the one you're most interested in.

TL;DR: This is an amazing, albeit just slightly outdated book for those looking on an introduction to dinosaurs. It is quality, packed with basic information, and a perfect gift for a dino-loving preteen or teenager.

[Catherine Puma]

This book was born out of the Natural History Museum in London, UK's dinosaur exhibits and artwork, and the authors both work at the museum and specialize in paleontology, so I trust them to represent the museum's research and fossils well. Dinosaur field guides that list cool facts are great and certainly have their place, especially by introducing readers to many dinosaurs at once and inspiring them to learn even more afterwards. "The Natural History Museum Book of Dinosaurs" is that next step of inquiry about these extinct creatures, because while it is coffee table book sized and full of color images (artwork, infographics, and photographs), this is a chapter-book discussion rather than an introductory field guide.

Topics include: their environment, locomotion, diet, attack and defense, social organization, extinction events, early paleontological discoveries, and dinosaurs as they relate to bird evolution. I would place this at the late middle school/early high school reading level. It's an interesting read and I thank the Sherwood Regional Library of Fairfax County, VA for the loan!

I cannot give this full 5/5 stars, however, because I cannot tell which sections, if any, have been updated. First published in 1993, I read the 2006 edition, but there's no author's note explaining if any edits were made as new science came out, or if this has just been reprinted as is over and over. Should we read this as representative of 1993 or 2006 scientific understanding? A lot changes in the field in 13 years! I also caught at least 3 typos in the last chapter, "Dinosaurs and Birds", so is this indicative that it was included more recently than the other chapters? I have no idea; the book doesn't say.

[Francesca]

My edition is the 2006 one; written by Tim Gardom and Angela Milner.

I absolutely enjoyed reading every page in this book. Overall, I felt that it was a great introduction to any starting dino-enthusiast. Having just discovered my interest in paleontology last year, I was quite excited when I got this book to have a brief overview of all the important concepts and timelines within the Jurassic, Triassic, and Cretaceous period; and this book was just that!

[Gareth Williams]

Very clearly written, informative and well-illustrated coffee table book based on an old exhibition at the Natural History Museum. A very good introduction to dinosaurs and their context but doubtless overtaken by more recent research. There is an updated version but even this is auite long in the tooth now.
Nevertheless, of you can pick this up cheap, it is a fine book.