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Rex Appeal: The Amazing Story of Sue, the Dinosaur That Changed Science, the Law, and My Life
When Peter Larson and his team from the Black Hills Institute discovered the world's largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton beneath a South Dakota butte in 1990, they had no idea that it would be the find of a lifetime. Sue, as the skeleton came to be known, would ultimately not only lead them to international recognition, but also pull them into a world of FBI investigations, Native American land claims, competitive paleontologists, and avaricious museum curators. This gripping story chronicles the adventures of Larson and his group, explaining the art, technology, and politics behind one of the most successful group of T-rex hunters.
424 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
6 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Peter Larson
17 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 21, 2018
Amazing memoir by a great field paleontologist and T. rex hunter, who ended up in jail for politically-motivated, trumped-up federal charges of paperwork violations. Mind, that's his side of the story, but it's heartbreaking, and an eye-opener of why you really, really don't want to get in the crosshairs of an ambitious Federal prosecutor. Per Wikipedia, Larson was sentenced to two years in prison, for offenses that supposedly carry a maximum sentence of 6 months: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_L... (which is a nice capsule bio). And see the quote from the 1992 NY Times account of the big Fed raid in the second comment. 35 F.B.I. agents! 20 National Guardsmen!
I'm hardly neutral -- I have a T. rex T-shirt bought from Larson after he gave a lecture in Tucson, while he was still fighting the charges. He's a good storyteller. If you love dinosaurs and/or hate Federal busybodies, this is the book for you. 4+ stars.
I'm hardly neutral -- I have a T. rex T-shirt bought from Larson after he gave a lecture in Tucson, while he was still fighting the charges. He's a good storyteller. If you love dinosaurs and/or hate Federal busybodies, this is the book for you. 4+ stars.
May 28, 2020
I really liked the skeleton charts in the book that map out the bones found in the Black Hills Institute's t rex fossil finds. I already read another book about the court case involving Sue, but you get more of the defendant's personal experience with this book. This book covers the life in a day as a paleontologist, a legal battle, and scientific theories about t rex that have come out by studying the bones. It is also a memoir of sorts for Pete Larson. I felt the Alice in Wonderland quotes within the chapters to add a little too much to juggle with the switch between the many topics. Just my opinion.
May 29, 2015
I thought this book was amazing because not only does it tell the story of Sue,(the largest and most complete skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex) it also focuses on the smaller detail about his job. Peter Larson tells Sue's incredibly amazing story from the beginning to the end, from the smallest detail to the largest. The fact that Sue had to be taken from them was really devastating because it was Black Hills Institute that discovered her and not the Chicago museum of natural history. My favorite part is when they discovered her because no one has every discovered a tyrannosaur as big as this one. Another reason why I liked this book was because he also gives information such as pictures and fun facts because it help you better visualize what's going on. I would mainly recommend this book to people who like to learn new things about the earth and especially if they love DINOSAURS! I thought this book was outstanding and hopefully many of you will enjoy it as much as I did.
December 14, 2017
There's a huge load of information about T.rex and a big chunk of the book is about the shameful trial that shook the world of paleontology.
The reason I have read this book only now, is soon said: 'Dinosaur 13' seems to be a little slanted and according to most people it certainly is. I needed more information about the trial since from the movie not enough is said about it. I made the right choice, even though the author of this book is the main 'character' in the movie and, as such, the risk of reading the same apparently slanted version of the story was behind the corner. But I must be honest and say that, to the extent of the objective information reported in the book regarding the trial, no such thing is found and I take this as a sign that the tale of Larson is mainly authentic.
I share with Larson the love for paleontology and the feeling of confusion about law and legislation. I fully understand his helplessness and desperation in front of somenthing that seemed to come out of thin air. Everytime Larson jumps from the court into the fields, from the helplessness to the joy of discovery, I made the same jump. In this I think Larson has an important point: that is, science is an unique enterprise and paleontologists are carrying it on in the humblest way possible. All the story of the trial takes the shape of a poweful slap in the face of science. And its true.
Of course, even though the book is a really good one, concerning the trial I will need to read more, and from a different source, to put my final word on it. From what I have read, this was nothing but a big example of injustice and obsessive witch hunt based on... nothing. It is alarming that such a thing, in the way the thing itself went on up to the conclusion, could happen in a developed country.
On the scientific side, I recognize that some of the inferences Larson made from the obserbation of the fossils sound a little too quick. They are interesting nonetheless and have the great quality of triggering a debate, a vital role of science and human thought. As I said, there is a big load of information, but the book is now quite old and for an updated state of the art about T.rex it would be better to read more recent books.
Finally, the book is well written and it takes the weird shape of a science-biografy mixed book. Lots of pictures, drawings and a final set of appendixes help the reader to go through the story and the science of T.rex in an easy and highly informative way.
The reason I have read this book only now, is soon said: 'Dinosaur 13' seems to be a little slanted and according to most people it certainly is. I needed more information about the trial since from the movie not enough is said about it. I made the right choice, even though the author of this book is the main 'character' in the movie and, as such, the risk of reading the same apparently slanted version of the story was behind the corner. But I must be honest and say that, to the extent of the objective information reported in the book regarding the trial, no such thing is found and I take this as a sign that the tale of Larson is mainly authentic.
I share with Larson the love for paleontology and the feeling of confusion about law and legislation. I fully understand his helplessness and desperation in front of somenthing that seemed to come out of thin air. Everytime Larson jumps from the court into the fields, from the helplessness to the joy of discovery, I made the same jump. In this I think Larson has an important point: that is, science is an unique enterprise and paleontologists are carrying it on in the humblest way possible. All the story of the trial takes the shape of a poweful slap in the face of science. And its true.
Of course, even though the book is a really good one, concerning the trial I will need to read more, and from a different source, to put my final word on it. From what I have read, this was nothing but a big example of injustice and obsessive witch hunt based on... nothing. It is alarming that such a thing, in the way the thing itself went on up to the conclusion, could happen in a developed country.
On the scientific side, I recognize that some of the inferences Larson made from the obserbation of the fossils sound a little too quick. They are interesting nonetheless and have the great quality of triggering a debate, a vital role of science and human thought. As I said, there is a big load of information, but the book is now quite old and for an updated state of the art about T.rex it would be better to read more recent books.
Finally, the book is well written and it takes the weird shape of a science-biografy mixed book. Lots of pictures, drawings and a final set of appendixes help the reader to go through the story and the science of T.rex in an easy and highly informative way.
October 21, 2022
A fascinating book which tells of the string of improbable T Rex finds by the Black Hills Institute in the 1990’s. I enjoyed reading about the author’s theories about T Rex behavior, skeletal sexual dimorphism and the his debunking of T Rex myths, like, for instance, that T Rex did not stand upright dragging his tale.
The book was weaker, however, in terms of the legal battle he endured. It takes him many pages to explain what the lawsuit is about and while he self-servingly portrays himself as getting a raw deal, some of the government’s case appeared to have some merit. So while I appreciated that he told a selective bit about his legal odyssey, the book was far better when discussing paleontology and the T Rex.
The book was weaker, however, in terms of the legal battle he endured. It takes him many pages to explain what the lawsuit is about and while he self-servingly portrays himself as getting a raw deal, some of the government’s case appeared to have some merit. So while I appreciated that he told a selective bit about his legal odyssey, the book was far better when discussing paleontology and the T Rex.
April 12, 2023
If I only ever read one book on Dinosaurs and palaeontology I would only ever pick this book.
Instantly gripping and tells the story of how one of the greatest Dinosaur fossils to be discovered was found and unearthed but also the titanic legal battle that followed, what’s great though is you never get weighed down by constantly reading about the court battle and it switches in other directions including the finding of numerous other T Rex Fossils like Stan and Bucky, also mentions the numerous other fossils found with sue including parts of other dinosaurs and goes into detail of how Sue met her timely death.
This is a truly remarkable account and one I will cherish.. some books like music can feel like they change your life this did mine.
Instantly gripping and tells the story of how one of the greatest Dinosaur fossils to be discovered was found and unearthed but also the titanic legal battle that followed, what’s great though is you never get weighed down by constantly reading about the court battle and it switches in other directions including the finding of numerous other T Rex Fossils like Stan and Bucky, also mentions the numerous other fossils found with sue including parts of other dinosaurs and goes into detail of how Sue met her timely death.
This is a truly remarkable account and one I will cherish.. some books like music can feel like they change your life this did mine.
July 24, 2025
Larson and the Black Hills Institute discovered and unearthed Sue, the most famous T-Rex fossil find in the world. Unfortunately for them, they were the "wrong" kind of people (i.e., not academic types) and got sucked down a hole of government overreach and punishment.
The book follows the Kafka-esque trials of Larson et al while also discoursing on paleontology in general and the t-rex in particular.
A good and informative book for both the study of dinosaur fossils and government gone wrong.
The book follows the Kafka-esque trials of Larson et al while also discoursing on paleontology in general and the t-rex in particular.
A good and informative book for both the study of dinosaur fossils and government gone wrong.
March 3, 2015
Rex Appeal is really quite a loaded book. Not only does it cover the story behind the discovery of Sue, but it also dives into the complex politics behind mineral rights and land ownership in the United States. It's got a lot of great explanations for complicated scientifical schtuff, so it is pretty accessible for those who haven't kept up with paleontological lingo since preschool.
Overall very interesting but the story is such a tragedy that you might end up rage puking a couple of times. I sure know I did.
Overall very interesting but the story is such a tragedy that you might end up rage puking a couple of times. I sure know I did.
August 6, 2012
I can now determine the sex of a T-Rex based on its skeleton. Enough said.
September 11, 2020
An account of the discovery of the T.rex Sue, its excavation and the mind-boggling legal battle that followed. Well written and full of useful dinosaur facts with all the suspense of a legal thriller. It's still a mystery how that came about and why the government pursued this case with such fervor and unfairness. Sue and courtroom stuff aside, I enjoyed the descriptions of paleontologists on the job and how their finds support and challenge our theories of ancient life. The explanation of the saurischian/avian 'one-way' breathing near the back was simpler and more understandable than any other I've read on the subject.
August 18, 2019
Incredible story. I loved the science and the law. However, my sympathies go out to the paleontologists who were failed by the system. Sometimes government should not interfere and this was a perfect example. I am from South Dakota and remember well the Sue dinosaur discovery. However, I was unaware of the rest of the story. This book will fill you in. As I have said, my sympathies lie with the paleontologists and these felony convictions were ridiculous.
March 2, 2022
A lot of the scientific parts went over my head. I watched Dinosaur 13 before reading this, so I skimmed through a lot of the legal parts. I did learn more about t rexes. I look forward to possibly visiting the Museum at the Blank Hills Institute in May.
June 8, 2018
Great review of paleontology concerning T.Rex, plus how screwed up and politicized our criminal justice system can be.
September 3, 2016
We visited the Black Hills Institute several months after Sue's skeleton was seized and acquired our own "Vote for Sue" poster. This account helpfully back-filled in what had only been vague recognition of all that led to the seizure and afterward to being installed in Chicago's Field Museum.
July 13, 2016
Very informative and a relatively enjoyable read. I will warn that the case parts get kind of lengthy and a little more subjective than I thought they would be. He is at his best when digging into the dinosaur facts.
April 10, 2008
T-Rex named Sue is also good, but this has terrific diagrams and talks about other digs and what was found
February 18, 2021
Around the whole fiasco of the trial, Larson presents good information on T. Rex and paleontology in general. Lots of good info, presented in an interesting and pleasing way.
Re-read February 2021.
Re-read February 2021.
May 30, 2013
Excellent book. Crammed to the book flaps with science and humor. Larson totally got bum-rushed by the legal system. Slightly intimidated by some of the science and legal aspects.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews