The illustrated encyclopedia of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals

by Douglas Palmer

This guide covers over 600 species from predatory dinosaurs to primitive amphibians, from giant armoured fish to mammoths and sabertooths. Accompanying each illustration are biographies of the creatures, detailing how these animals moved, behaved, and what they ate. Where possible, significant comparisons are made with familiar living animals to highlight the process. The book also contains spreads on how fossils are made, how they are discovered, and the process of evolution.

Genres: Palaeontology, Nonfiction, Reference

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Douglas Palmer is a science writer, academic, and author of many books on paleontology, including Life Before Man and Graptolites: Writing in the Rock. In addition to writing numerous articles for leading journals such as Science and New Scientist, he teaches Natural and Earth Sciences at Cambridge University, England.

Reviews

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was interested in a listing of all the dinosaurs and I believe this book accomplishes that.

Now I would like to find a book if it exists, of a book about all the classifications of dinosaurs with real photos of the fossils, plus a rendering of how the experts think the dinosaurs actually looked. That would allow the reader to see what part of these animals are real and what part are a product of the scientists' imagination.

I could also do without the speculation as to the origins. I just want what is actually known: Where were the fossil remains found, preferably with photos, and the bones as they found them, then afterwards the bones put together. Then show us a drawing.

There's too much evolutionary theory spoon feeding in dinosaur books and this book is no exception.