Dinosaur Plots and Other Intrigues in Natural History

by Leonard Krishtalka

A distinguished paleontologist explores a range of mysteries in natural history and offers imaginative, even fanciful, explanations for paleontological puzzles, covering everything from dinosaurs to early humans

Genres: Science, History, Biology

316 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1989

About the author

Leonard Krishtalka has enjoyed two parallel careers––professional paleontologist, and author/novelist. As a paleontologist he has led and worked on expeditions throughout the fossil-rich badlands of western Canada and the US, Patagonia, Europe, China, Kenya and Ethiopia, excavating and studying the past life and cultures of the planet. He has held academic posts at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the University of Pittsburgh, the National Science Foundation, Washington, DC, and The University of Kansas, Lawrence.

As a novelist, Krishtalka uses the mystery genre to explore the human condition. He is the author of the award-winning Harry Przewalski novels: The Bone Field, Death Spoke, The Camel Driver, and the forthcoming Native Blood (Dec. 6, 2023). His fifth novel, The Body on the Bed, is historical fiction that investigates a murder and sensational trial in 1871 amid the social upheaval of post-Civil War Lawrence, Kansas.

Krishtalka is also an op-ed contributor to the Lawrence Journal-World, a past columnist for Carnegie Magazine, and author of the acclaimed book, Dinosaur Plots.

Reviews

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun one. Even though it's no longer current (being that it's-gasp-over 25 years old!!), Krishtalka is a good writer with a intelligent wit, and many of the concepts are still true to this day, even if the evidence has changed somewhat.

[Rebecca Abuscato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of essay collections recently, in particular those of Stephen Jay Gould and now Leonard Krishtalka, having gotten them at a local book sale for pennies! They are all decades old, but I hesitate to call them "out of date." They represent the growth of the field of anthropology, and are therefore fascinating to read. (The more so when you watch YouTube videos today of religious apologists today still trying to debunk science knowledge that is thirty years old...or in Darwin's case, 150 years old. Tip - Darwin wasn't the first to talk about evolution, and yes, his book was extremely impactful, but the science of evolution has come a loooong way since then.)

This book, published in 1989, has 25 essays, each from Leonard Krishtalka's "Missing Links" column in Carnegie Magazine (published quarterly by the Carnegie Museums, of course).

Dinosaur Plots
The Naming of the Shew (love that title)
Lesser-known Principles
Begging the Question
Aromtic Man
Art on the Rocks
All about Eve
The Archaeopteryx "Hoax"
Intelligent Life in the Universe
Gregorian Chance
Backing into the Future
Bonehunter's Stew
Local Heroes
Measure for Measure
Til the Cows Come Home
Oat Cuisine
Designed by a camel
Life from the cheap seats
Mammoth Tales
Chewing the Cud
Face Value
Monkey Trials
Natural Predictions
Body Double: Duplicating Dinosaurs
Scientific Literacy

The history of science is important - and it's important to keep the history straight in your head.

Highly recommended.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

found at half price books. reading a 30 year old natural history book was a fun game of spot the outdated information. Krishtalka makes a big argument that it wasn’t a meteor that killed the dinos which has been pretty much,,, decided. still fun.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good paleontology reference book that is also entertaining to read.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

good, funny essays- interesting material, easy to read over lunch