The Atlas of the Prehistoric World

by Douglas Palmer

The Atlas of the Prehistoric World

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Palaeontology, Nature, Reference, History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

Douglas Palmer is a science writer, academic, and author of many books on paleontology, including Life Before Man and Graptolites: Writing in the Rock. In addition to writing numerous articles for leading journals such as Science and New Scientist, he teaches Natural and Earth Sciences at Cambridge University, England.

Reviews

[Fcsuper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is actually pretty hard to find these days. When I did finally get a used copy, I found the illustrations and information to be only OK as a reference point for continental drift and prehistory. I also found that the info on prehistoric animals barely touches on each prehistoric period. I purchased the book for its continental drift information and maps. In this area, I am a little disappointed. The maps provided do not show the complete landmass of each period. Each map only shows half of the Earth, and the other half is never shown in a separate map. Not being able to see the whole landmass for each period is a little annoying given that this is the main purpose for the book.
The book provides very general and unnecessarily incomplete information on prehistoric Earth's many ages.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this "Encyclopedia" volume from my library. I loved all the anthropology, archeology and learning more in depth about the prehistoric world. The Atlantic Magazine had a great article about mass extinction in the prehistoric world and theories about what really happened to the dinosaurs.

I highly recommend that article and this if you are in to dinosaurs and learning about that time.

Highly recommended at your library!

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title has so much potential, but there is so little about it to actually call it an atlas.

The first quarter of the book has a series of green blobs on a blue background. What I was hoping for was quality at least as good as I had seen on the internet (https://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/globaltext2...).

Then the last three quarters is mostly text about the evolution of life, at about the level of a middle school biology textbook. There is only occasional reference to the topic of geography - though not as a unifying or driving theme.

[James Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The role of plate tectonics is very important to an understanding of the development and distribution of life on the planet, and one of the things that sets this book apart from most other books on prehistoric flora and fauna is its inclusion of wonderful depictions of the relative positions of the continents during the various geological periods. A nice coffee-table book, but much more than that as well.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biggest plus of this book are the extensive chapters on geology, modern evolutionary theory and the cool maps of Earth during various geological eras. Especially THE MAPS, which are a real visual treat. The dioramas of life during the eras in each main chapter aren't bad either.