Bone Wars: The Excavation and Celebrity of Andrew Carnegie's Dinosaur

by Tom Rea

Winner of the 2002 Spur Award for Best Western Nonfiction - Contemporary


Less than one hundred years ago, Diplodocus carnegii ―named after industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie―was the most famous dinosaur on the planet. The most complete fossil skeleton unearthed to date, and one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered, Diplodocus was displayed in a dozen museums around the world and viewed by millions of people.

Bone Wars explains how a fossil unearthed in the badlands of Wyoming in 1899 helped give birth to the public’s fascination with prehistoric beasts. Rea also traces the evolution of scientific thought regarding dinosaurs, and reveals the double-crosses and behind-the-scenes deals that marked the early years of bone hunting.

With the help of letters found in scattered archives, Tom Rea recreates a remarkable story of hubris, hope, and turn-of-the-century science. He focuses on the roles of five Wyoming fossil hunter Bill Reed; paleontologists Jacob Wortman―in charge of the expedition that discovered Mr. Carnegie’s dinosaur―and John Bell Hatcher; William Holland, imperious director of the recently founded Carnegie Museum; and Carnegie himself, smitten with the colossal animals after reading a newspaper story in the New York Journal and Advertiser .

What emerges is the picture of an era reminiscent of technology advancing by leaps and bounds; the press happy to sensationalize anything that turned up; huge amounts of capital ending up in the hands of a small number of people; and some devoted individuals placing honest research above personal gain.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Dinosaurs, Science, Palaeontology

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2001

Reviews

[Charles Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reading about the competition to mine Wyoming for its dinosaur bones. Not necessarily any bad guys in this but some not-so-perfect good guys either. It starts with Carnegie and ends about at the end of the bone-rush of 1900 or so.

But, fascinating reading. Think Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones as you read this. Then wonder for a while about your own fascination with dinosaurs and your own trips to museums.

We're lucky in our part of the world to have a first-class dig at the Gray Fossil Site that I can only hope has caught the imagination of folks of all ages about bones.

There is a lot said here. It gets sluggish but keep digging(?).
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[Tom Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you know that the Brontosaurus is really the Apatosaurus, and it could walk on land just fine without needing to support its weight by standing in a swamp?

Of course you did; you're a dinosaur fanatic -- why else would you be looking at this book?

But did you know that there was a time when all this dinosaur trivia was just being uncovered? Did you know that putting dino skeletons on display was a very big deal, and that museums would do anything to one-up one another to be the first to display the biggest, the most complete, the most newly discovered skeletons of all? Did you know that once it was revealed just how much people would spend on admission to gawk at some plaster casts of bones that the biggest businessman in American history would throw his hat in the museum ring in hopes of inspiring world peace with scientific awe and wonder? And that before we ever got to that point, hard-working geologists and paleontologists had to struggle to secure funding from penny-pinching Congressmen to keep making the finds necessary to develop a brand-new branch of science?

It's all true, and it's all here in "Bone Wars".

I was lucky enough to grow up in the suburbs of Chicago, just a yellow school bus ride away from a field trip to the hallowed halls of the Field Museum. Of course, my favorite exhibit was the dinosaurs (officially titled the Kenneth and Anne Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet, but still labeled as Dinosaur Hall and marked with a strangely peevish-looking Triceratops on the visitors' map). Now, in the 200-odd pages of "Bone Wars" I was cast back to the late 1800s to see the context in which the exhibits I loved as a kid first developed. It was a time when the railroad promised expansion into a new industrial future, while simultaneously carting back the rocky discoveries of a prehistoric past.

Author Tom Rea does a fantastic job of interweaving fossilization facts into a human narrative. This is a really well-researched book. It's like a steady stream of facts, both paleontology and American history in tandem, and despite the density of trivia it was fun to read. Still, I think this would have been fine as a 75- to 100-page serial. It feels padded with extraneous material in some spots, especially the middle chapters which cover less and less about Carnegie and the Diplodocus find and more and more about Wyoming state history, railroad business deals, conflicts between various geological teams, and a sudden turn towards the development of the theory of continental drift. And early on it rehashes a lot of dinosaur/geology information that is probably familiar to you, the target audience, already. Ironically, it also seems like it would move too quickly over those same topics for a reader just learning about the Mesozoic era for the first time. It's not until the final 30 pages that a really detailed analysis of bone structure and sauropod physicality, behavior, and habitat begins. (And yes, we do get to read about how scientific opinion changed sauropods from swamp-dwellers to land-lubbers)

So, altogether this is a very informative read with colorful characters, but the author doesn't hold to a single compelling narrative throughout. The first and final thirds are rich and interesting, but the middle third slumps in energy and focus. I give it 3 stars out of 5.

[Rmslis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the late 1800’s the interest in fossil collection was at an all-time high. Collectors competed against each other in a frenzy while scouring the recently opened western ranges of the United States looking for more and more fossils with which to satisfy the public’s increasing interest and curiosity of those remnants of the enigmatic and majestic creatures that once roamed this Earth. This fossil craze got the attention of the richest man in the world at that time, Andrew Carnegie. Having already established a museum in Pittsburgh - The Carnegie Institute - Carnegie wanted one of these coveted but rare, nearly intact fossilized dinosaur skeletons for his museum. However, not just any one would do for him. He wanted the largest one that could be found.

This book chronicles the history of the discovery of the largest and most complete dinosaur fossil skeleton discovered at that time (the late 1800s) - eighty-four foot long Diplodocus (Diplodocus carnegii) - and provides some background of all of the individuals responsible for that discovery and the subsequent erection of that fossilized skeleton in the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Having an interest in dinosaurs from my early childhood and having visited the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh (now known as The Carnegie Museum) a number of times in my life dating back to my childhood, reading this book was a no-brainer for me once I became aware of it. I found the first part of the book and the ending rather interesting but the middle portion I felt like I slogged through it, as that part of the book seemed to be more concentrated on the lives of the various individuals (other than Andrew Carnegie) that were in some way connected to the discovery, acquisition or erection of the fossil in question. When I would leave the book for a short while, or a bit longer, and then come back to it, it was sometimes a bit confusing trying to remember who was who and their connection to the fossil in question. Still, I found the book interesting and informative. It filled me with a sense of awe as I became more aware of not only the significance of that one particular fossil’s place in the early history of paleontology but also of the generous contributions from Andrew Carnegie to the world of paleontology. Having historical significance it’s a worthy book to read for any dinosaur enthusiast.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

So before I get into the review itself, I need to admit some mea culpa. When I saw this book and the title "Bone Wars" I immediately assumed this book was about the Cope v Marsh battles for Dinosaurs back in the 1870s. If I had read more of the inside cover or the synopsis of the book, I would have probably realized this is NOT what the book is about at all, and made a more conscious decision in my expectations. So that is my embarrassing admission about how I began reading this book.

What this book IS about is the later struggles in the 1890s and 1900s to find Dinosaur Bones for the recently built Carnegie museum in Pittsburgh. While it sadly doesn't have much to do with Cope and Marsh like I'd have hoped, it still involves a lot of similar competition between leading paleontologists at the time as they try to "one up" each other in their scientific discoveries and displays.

The book did do a good job of educating me about a pivotal period in the history of Paleontology, and it was a very interesting look at the ways in which the gilded age millionaires like Carnegie donated and supported the sciences and philanthropy.

Overall this was a solid read, albeit not the read I was expecting at first when I picked up the book. That however is entirely my own fault. If you're interested in Dinosaurs then this book might be a bit too light on Dinosaurs themselves for you, but if you are interested in the HISTORY of Paleontology and Science in the 19th Century, then this is a wonderful addition to your library.

[April Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved rocks and fossils, so this book was a great find for me. It's an account of early American (mostly, some Euros and South Americans noted) dinosaur bone hunters. Specifically, it's the story of Andrew Carnegie's desire to have a full skeleton of the largest dino ever, and who he employs to make it happen.

As with any business, there are clashing egos and abilities. Men who found and excavated bones weren't necessarily the best to present their stories and operate museums. Competing paleologists fought over claims and ownership, and traveled the world to find bones, piecing together the evolution of the Earth.

I didn't realize that the Pangea theory wasn't really accepted until the 1960s. Huh.

[Harold Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by one of the paleontologists at the Academy of Natural History. He was working on some dino bones. This is a fascinating story about the discovery of Andrew Carnegie's dinosaur at the end of the 19th century. Every museum needed a dinosaur and there was a race to dig up something big and complete to display. Carnegie's Pittsburgh won the race and the bones are still a highlight of visiting the museum. Lots of backstory and intrigue in the search.

[Maryellen Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of the book were very interesting especially when the dinosaur bones were discovered and excavated. I got bored with all the back and forth about who was going to get the land and permission to dig for the bones. I am glad that Carnegie Museum got the dinosaurs that they did because, in person, they are amazing.

[Paula Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story about the discovery of dinosaurs, the competition between scientists, museums and philanthropists and it all started with a dinosaur from Wyoming! It is amazing to me how far the sciences of paleontology and geology have developed over the last 100+ years.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

War of Boneheads

Very informative examination of the Gold Rush for Dinosaur Fossils in America! It was really a war of egos funded by the Rich of the Guided Age! Competition for fame and glory over science! Paleontology benefited from it all and the fascination with dinosaurs remains strong to the present day!

[Kendell Timmers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did I fill in some gaps in my understanding of the early years of paleontology? Yeah. But also I had to read endless descriptions of the interpersonal disagreements between so many men? Yepppp.

[Colleen Mertens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book at the local library. It was a little slow at parts but the history it contained was fascinating. I never realized how much went into finding dinosaurs and what Carnegie did to get things for his museum. It included a lot of the history of industry in Pittsburgh as well as how dinosaur hunting happened at the turn of the last century. This book would appeal to history buffs and Yinzers.

[John Branney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much intrigue in this book. The author did an excellent job of researching 'who done what and when', but the story lacked excitement. I was counting pages to read about midway. Someone who is really into the history of dinosaur bone hunting a century or so ago would probably get a lot out of this book, I did not. One thumb up.

[Ruthann Wheeler · Rating 2 out of 5]

a list of interesting facts. it's like reading a text book.