Field Guide to Dinosaurs: The Essential Handbook for Travelers in the Mesozoic

by Henry Gee, Luis V. Rey

This beautifully produced and illustrated volume is the result of sophisticated scientific research. However, it has been written in clear laymen’s language for nonscientists who have serious interest in paleontology. Author Henry Gee provides naturalists’ notes on more than 50 different dinosaur species. His information is supplemented with dramatic, anatomically accurate full-color illustrations of each dinosaur. Material in this book is based on findings of dinosaur remains in North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Antarctica, and is divided according to time Triassic, Jurassic, Early- and Mid-Cretaceous, and Late Cretaceous. At-a-glance icons convey key information about each animal, including size, taxonomy, geological period of origin, and geographical location of discovered bones. The book also presents general background information on the 180 million years of the dinosaur-dominated Mesozoic era, including details on Mesozoic plants and animals and the modern story of dinosaur discovery. More than 500 vivid illustrations are all in full color.

Genres: Dinosaurs, Nonfiction, Science, Palaeontology

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Henry Gee's next book The Wonder of Life on earth, illustrated by Raxenne Maniquiz, is out on 5 February 2026. His other books include The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire, A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth (winner of the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize) and The Science of Middle earth. His books have been translated into more than 25 languages. He is represented by Jill Grinberg Literary Management and lives in Cromer, England.

Reviews

[Vinay Bysani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is aware of the tone and audience its for. It tries to stay true to research in lot of ways, but there are a few aspects which are speculative, especially the color, markings, fur etc. Authors go on to make the dinosaurs colorful, for which author says and believes that dinosaurs are probably colorful as they are ancestors of today birds. also the book is mostly written for entertainment than scientific accuracy.

I really enjoyed for first few pages of book explaining early dinosaur fossil discoveries, panagea and how its split during mesozoic timeline, and explaining continental drift. Rest of 80% of the book is about dinosaurs and some information on their markings, diet, habitat etc. Author picked some really interesting species from all 3 times of mesozoic - Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceou. The sketches are what stood out for me the most.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author states that the book is a work of fiction. The ages of dinosaurs are broken down by period. The individual dinosaurs of each period are briefly discussed with maps showing their range along with characteristics and foods. There are many illustrations with a large number in color. This is an excellent book for young people interested in dinosaurs.

[Toby Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biggest issue with this book is that everything from its title to its illustrations and even much of its Goodreads synopsis advertises it as a standard book on dinosaurs, when it is, more accurately, a work of speculative biology. As such, it is a sad reality that many speculative biology fans will not be exposed to book as great and as fun as this.

The author lays it out plainly in the introduction - this is a work of fiction. Real dinosaurs known from fossils are given entirely speculative colours, behaviours and symbiotic relationships, done so with both a nod to real-world biology and a lot of humour, with such beautiful concepts as Oviraptor serving as pest control for Protoceratops nests (a nice palaeontological in-joke), Compsognathus being reported as stealing certain possessions of time-travelers (including, on one occasion, an unexploded stun grenade), and Masiakasaurus having a mating call like 'an electric guitar screaming in pain'. I'd recommend this to fans of All Yesterdays, with a similar concept, although notably this book lacks the distinctive and eye-catching artwork of All Yesterdays. The artwork of this book, by Luis Rey, is undeniably beautiful, but doesn't contain any of the aforementioned speculative elements. All of that is simply present in the text.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book, a deeply underrated work in a deeply underrated genre.

[Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable dinosaur book laid out in the form of a fictious field guide. Most of the featured species get full color illustrations and all get pencil sketches. A bit old, but still a enjoyable book to thumb through. The only thing that I really didn't like was the full-color picture of the Spinosaurus where it had an accordian-like throat pouch. Otherwise an enjoyable book.

[JubJub · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice introduction to dinosaurs for the uninitiated, accompanied by pretty pictures. Would be excellent for younger readers.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb book on paleontology/dinosaurs, love the full color illustrations with the sketches, makes it feel more like a real field guide.