SOLVED. Non-Fiction: Folklore of Dragons plus speculative science on flight and fire-breathing including corrosive bones? [s]

[Stephanie]

Friend and I are looking for a non-fiction book that discusses dragon folklore and the science of dragons, how they potentially evolved, and the mechanics of things like flight, fire-breathing, and why they hoarded gold. This was published before 2000, for sure, I read it either mid or late 90s. It wasn't specifically a children's book although I read it as a kid, I think I found it in the adult folklore section.

We both distinctly remember that it was well-illustrated and focused a lot on the speculative science of how dragons would have been able to do all of the various things they did, including some chemistry of how they might have ignited gases to be able to breathe fire, how the same gases would help them fly, that their bones must have been corrosive in some way so that they dissolved quickly after a dragon died, thus the lack of fossils.

I think there was also a series of illustrations about how dragons would have had wings, and I think concluding that they were either some kind of spike fanned out for gliding or that all dragons had only 2 feet. There was also something that had to do with why dragons hoarded gold, it was either because of something to do with physical comfort or because they used the metal somehow in the fire-breathing.

There's a decent chance that the book in question is Dragons: A Natural History (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...) but I can't find any mentions in the reviews of the specific science-related content that stands out to me. If someone can confirm that would be amazing.

[Joseph]

Could be The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson.

[Stephanie]

That's.... very possibly it. Can't confirm at the moment due to libraries being closed but the reviews mention all the things that stood out to me. Thank you! (Will still take other suggestions, as I asked on behalf of a friend who might have slightly different memories.)

[Stephanie]

Updated with friend's feedback- we are both 99.999999999% sure that it is The Flight of Dragons.The Flight of Dragons Thanks! I think this is officially "solved!"

[Joseph]

Awesome!