Barnum Brown

by Mark Norell, Mark Norell

From his stunning discovery of Tyrannosaurus rex one hundred years ago to the dozens of other important new dinosaur species he found, Barnum Brown led a remarkable life (1873–1963), spending most of it searching for fossils—and sometimes oil—in every corner of the globe. One of the most famous scientists in the world during the middle of the twentieth century, Brown—who lived fast, dressed to the nines, gambled, drank, smoked, and was known as a ladies’ man—became as legendary as the dinosaurs he uncovered. Barnum Brown brushes off the loose sediment to reveal the man behind the legend. Drawing on Brown’s field correspondence and unpublished notes, and on the writings of his daughter and his two wives, it discloses for the first time details about his life and travels—from his youth on the western frontier to his spying for the U.S. government under cover of his expeditions. This absorbing biography also takes full measure of Brown’s extensive scientific accomplishments, making it the definitive account of the life and times of a singular man and a superlative fossil hunter.

Genres: Biography, Dinosaurs, Science, History, Palaeontology, Nonfiction, Natural History

384 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2010

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but didn't hold my interest like the author's book on John Bell Hatcher (King of the Dinosaur Hunters). Barnum and Hatcher led similar lives and even worked together on occasion (Patagonia), but Hatcher left behind voluminous correspondence which helped flesh out that book. In addition to explorations in the American West, Barnum's exploits took him farther afield than Hatcher, to Canada, India, Burma, Turkey, and other remote locales. Barnum's big claim to fame is the discovery of the first Tyrannosaurs rex fossils in the early 1900s. While that discovery is the keynote of the book, the drama is overwhelmed by the other events in his busy life. An added dimension is Barnum's surreptitious work for the US government between the wars.