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Complete Idiot's Guide to Dinosaurs (The Complete Idiot's Guide) by Jay Stevenson
You're no idiot, of course. You've seen Jurassic Park--or at least a couple of Godzilla thrillers--and you know a T-rex from a pterodacty! But standing in the shadow of a full-sized skeleton in a museum, you feel a little Where did the dinosaurs go? And is there a chance they'll ever return? Don't worry--no one has cloned a dinosaur yet! After reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dinosaurs, you'll be able to distinguish fact from fiction without getting a degree in paleo--geology. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you'll
- GenresDinosaurs
Mass Market Paperback
First published August 6, 1998
14 people want to read
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July 20, 2020
There is a lot of good content and the text is very readable across a wide audience from young to old. Concepts are clearly explained and presented with a good dose of humor. I’m a fan of using humor but after 30-40 pages, my eyes began to roll. A lot has happened in the world of paleontology since I read Roy Chapman Andrews' ALL ABOUT DINOSAURS in the mid-1950s and this is a good way to catch up.
There are problems. The very few illustrations in the color section do a poor job of representing the key animals discussed in the text. The images are lurid and more suited to movie posters. Just some basic line drawings of the creatures as they are discussed would be a big help. I don’t expect the Dummies and Idiots titles to be perfect, but there are a number of oversights and omissions that a decent editor should have caught. On page 155 there is a photo of what is obviously a crested Pteranodon-like pterosaur, but the caption claims it is an archaeopteryx. The name of Winsor McCay, creator of the Gertie the Dinosaur animation is misspelled. The movie section chronicles the history of dinosaurs in film through Jurassic Park and beyond and the animators that brought the images to life. The 1967 ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. is covered, Raquel Welch is mentioned twice (and her furry bikini), but the movie’s FX specialist, Ray Harryhausen, premiere animator of the 1950s and 1960s (Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Valley of Gwangi, etc.) is not mentioned anywhere in the book.
Despite these criticisms I really liked the book. It’s over 20 years old and considering the advances in paleontology and continued interest in dinosaurs, it would benefit from an updated edition.
There are problems. The very few illustrations in the color section do a poor job of representing the key animals discussed in the text. The images are lurid and more suited to movie posters. Just some basic line drawings of the creatures as they are discussed would be a big help. I don’t expect the Dummies and Idiots titles to be perfect, but there are a number of oversights and omissions that a decent editor should have caught. On page 155 there is a photo of what is obviously a crested Pteranodon-like pterosaur, but the caption claims it is an archaeopteryx. The name of Winsor McCay, creator of the Gertie the Dinosaur animation is misspelled. The movie section chronicles the history of dinosaurs in film through Jurassic Park and beyond and the animators that brought the images to life. The 1967 ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. is covered, Raquel Welch is mentioned twice (and her furry bikini), but the movie’s FX specialist, Ray Harryhausen, premiere animator of the 1950s and 1960s (Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Valley of Gwangi, etc.) is not mentioned anywhere in the book.
Despite these criticisms I really liked the book. It’s over 20 years old and considering the advances in paleontology and continued interest in dinosaurs, it would benefit from an updated edition.
Displaying 1 of 1 review