The Riddle of the Dinosaur

by John Noble Wilford

The Pulitzer Prize-winning science reporter of The New York Times presents here a "lively introduction to many of the fascinating characters who have pursued and studied dinosaur bones, and a survey of two centuries of scientific thought on evolution" (The New York Times). Black-and-white halftones.

Genres: Science, Dinosaurs, Nonfiction, Palaeontology, Nature, Historical, Natural History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

John Noble Wilford is a science correspondent for 'The New York Times'. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes (1984 & 1987). He was the McGraw Lecturer at Princeton University in 1985, and Professor of Science Journalism at the University of Tennessee in 1989-1990. In 1998, he was elected tot the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Wilford has worked for 'The Wall Street Journal', 'Time', and, since 1965, the 'Times'.

Reviews

[Rocío Prieto · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐

No siempre hemos sabido tanto como ahora sobre la historia de la vida en la Tierra. Wilford nos brinda un relato muy ameno de la historia práctica de la paleontología: las personas involucradas, la emoción de los descubrimientos, las anécdotas de las expediciones, los procesos de pensamiento que intervinieron en las interpretaciones, y cómo ha percibido el público los diversos descubrimientos a lo largo de la historia.

Bien desarrollado, cautivante, ameno, sin caer en excesivos tecnicismos y en todo momento mantiene el interés. Libro clave para todos los interesados en el increíble mundo de los descubrimientos prehistóricos.

[Remo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buen libro. Cuenta la historia de la paleontología como ciencia, desde los primeros recolectores de fósiles hastalos modernos métodos de datación magnética y radiactiva. Termina con un cúmulo de posibles soluuciones para la extinción del Jurásico, aún sin resolver, y un alegato en pro de la raza humana (que no nos terminamos de creer dada la calidad media de los programas de por la tarde en la tele). En conjunto hay demasiados datos para retener, pero ello no impide que nos podamos hacer una idea global de los intereses, problemas y campos abiertos de esta ciencia.

[Keegan Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book tracing the state of dinosaur knowledge through the eyes of the paleontologists of the time, from the late 18th century to 1985. The format was extremely engaging, from the early chapters as we discover geologic time, to the final ones as we bounce back and forth in the debate on the cause of extinction of the dinosaurs. Despite the fact that this book is almost 40 years old, it does not feel out of date, because it recreates the scientific debates and understandings of the time, allowing for a much more complete understanding of everything from debates on dinosaur physiology, to the relinquishing of the Christian calendar in reference to the age of the Earth.

It also worked quite well as an adventure novel, tracking the paleontologists of the past on their wild treks through the American southwest on horseback, or through the Gobi desert in the 20s, driving cars and picking up fuel from caches dropped off by camels.

I can't help but make a direct comparison to another dinosaur book, that I just read, a very popular one by Steve Brusatte, a professional paleontologist. I found this one much more engaging, and much more rigorous with the science, which I was initially surprised by, as John Noble Wilford is not himself a paleontologist, but a science writer. He is definitely the better writer, and better at presenting these scientific debates in some detail, while Brusatte had a tendency to brush past those details, and focus on stating the current consensus. They are different books, and I don't want to pick too many nits, but this one answered more questions and impressed me more, with a good bit of romantic wonderment thrown on top. Find it, read it!

[Leew49 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science as a collection of facts and theories is interesting, but even more interesting are books like this one that introduce readers not only to the dinosaurs themselves but also to the process of how we came to learn about them: the great discoveries of paleontology and the colorful personalities who made them, the controversies and ever-changing interpretations of the evidence. Wilford presents us with paleontology as a dynamic, combative, and sometimes flawed science that changes through the ages, from the sluggish, lizard-like representations in the Crystal Palace of Victorian London to the hot-blooded, dynamic beasts envisioned by Bakker and Ostrom and popularized in movies like "Jurassic Park." Were dinosaurs endotherms or ectotherms? How did they interact socially? Did they care for their young? Did they become extinct because of their small brains or because of a meteor's impact? Was mass extinction a one-time event, or does it occur in predictable cycles? Are they really extinct, or do they live on in their avian descendants? What if anything does their existence and eventual demise tell us about our own destiny? Wilford discusses all these questions, presented in a historical sequence that follows our always growing and always changing knowledge of these fascinating prehistoric creatures.

[Glenn Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book on the history of dinosaur discoveries, the famous finds and the various theories of the extinction of the dinosaurs (was in the Yucatan comet or other reasons?). This was fun to go into the first discoveries, the discoveries from different regions and the discoveries of the social makeup of dinosaurs.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun super outdated book on dinosaurs. It was fun to see a snapshot into what the prevalent thoughts were 30 years ago.

[Bruce Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it when it came out, lo those many years ago.

[Bernardo Carranza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es una obra de como ha evolucionado el estudio de los dinosaurios, indispensable para paleontólogos.

[Fernando]

Colección Muy Interesante

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty fascinating history about dinosaur research and discovery, such as covering the 19th century bone wars in the western U.S. and the debate over warm-bloodness vs. cold bloodness of dinosaurs. However, there's also tons and tons of evolutionary garbage all through the book, like the debate over if birds "evolved" from dinosaurs.

[Aaron Benarroch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite some years have gone by since it was published for the first time, it is very good. It is that half way between an easy-going divulgation and an only-for-full-time-scientists book, amazing for those who have good basics.
I wish he could keep writing forever.

[Tyree Spann]

The book was more of a reference book than a biography because it was containing information about the life of a reptile and how many species of reptiles there were in the past times.