Learn about prehistoric life (51 books)

Do you find yourself wanting to be transported (but protected!) back to the days of the dinosaurs, or even earlier? Do you find yourself wondering what early humans and their ancestors must have been like? Then you should check out the books in this list and learn about pre-history.

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1	The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve Brusatte 4.21 avg rating — 40,149 ratings score: 1,295, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Stephen Jay Gould 4.14 avg rating — 10,251 ratings score: 692, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	T. Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Álvarez 4.05 avg rating — 2,033 ratings score: 689, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 28,683 ratings score: 600, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution by Richard Fortey 4.11 avg rating — 2,395 ratings score: 588, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	At the Water's Edge: Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea by Carl Zimmer (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 2,100 ratings score: 489, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Once & Future Giants: What Ice Age Extinctions Tell Us About the Fate of Earth's Largest Animals by Sharon Levy 3.97 avg rating — 211 ratings score: 398, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Dinosaurs Without Bones by Anthony J. Martin (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 420 ratings score: 298, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods by Danna Staaf (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 1,586 ratings score: 297, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Prehistoric Life: The Definitive Visual History of Life on Earth by David Burnie 4.52 avg rating — 606 ratings score: 296, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time by Michael J. Benton 4.10 avg rating — 1,538 ratings score: 291, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Weird Dinosaurs: The Strange new fossils challenging everything we thought we knew by John Pickrell (Goodreads Author) 4.10 avg rating — 289 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Written in Stone: The Hidden Secrets of Fossils and the Story of Life on Earth by Brian Switek (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 905 ratings score: 198, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley 4.05 avg rating — 17,315 ratings score: 198, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples by Tim Flannery 4.10 avg rating — 940 ratings score: 198, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Unearthing the Dragon by Mark A. Norell 3.62 avg rating — 40 ratings score: 197, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald R. Prothero 4.13 avg rating — 3,172 ratings score: 196, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	My Beloved Brontosaurus: On the Road with Old Bones, New Science, and Our Favorite Dinosaurs by Brian Switek (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 1,636 ratings score: 196, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Evolution Underground: Burrows, Bunkers, and the Marvelous Subterranean World Beneath our Feet by Anthony J. Martin (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 146 ratings score: 195, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	End of the Megafauna: The Fate of the World's Hugest, Fiercest, and Strangest Animals by Ross D.E. MacPhee 3.97 avg rating — 553 ratings score: 194, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters by Henry Gee (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 3,098 ratings score: 193, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth by Richard Fortey 4.08 avg rating — 3,343 ratings score: 189, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Voyage of the Turtle: In Pursuit of the Earth's Last Dinosaur by Carl Safina (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 933 ratings score: 186, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code by Margalit Fox (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 3,705 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Ask DG by Mark Miller (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	I Am God: World's Oldest Story by Rahul Badami (Goodreads Author) 3.93 avg rating — 29 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Invisible Sex: Uncovering the True Roles of Women in Prehistory by J.M. Adovasio 3.82 avg rating — 353 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Life in the Triassic by Nicholas Fraser 4.07 avg rating — 28 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Gorgon: The Monsters That Ruled the Planet Before Dinosaurs and How They Died in the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History by Peter D. Ward 3.76 avg rating — 394 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Dinosaurs of the Deep: Discover Prehistoric Marine Life by Larry Verstraete (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 8 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Rancho LA Brea: A Record of Pleistocene Life in California (Science Series, No 37) by Chester Stock really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 8 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Why Dinosaurs Matter (TED Books) by Kenneth Lacovara (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 931 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Extinctions: How Life Survives, Adapts and Evolves by Michael J. Benton 4.15 avg rating — 233 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Raptor Island (Dinosaur George and the Paleonauts, #1) by Mark Miller (Goodreads Author) 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Earth's Climate: Past and Future by William F. Ruddiman 4.08 avg rating — 118 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	All About Dinosaurs by Roy Chapman 4.10 avg rating — 80 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives by Alan Turner 4.44 avg rating — 176 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Mammoths and Mastodons of the Ice Age by Adrian Lister 4.21 avg rating — 19 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures by Dougal Dixon 4.45 avg rating — 47 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 55,478 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Future of Dinosaurs: What We Don't Know, What We Can, and What We'll Never Know by David Hone 4.17 avg rating — 285 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior: What They Did and How We Know by David Hone 3.88 avg rating — 228 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Ask DG by Mark Miller (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Fossils by Richard Fortey 4.02 avg rating — 92 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life by Barry Cox 4.51 avg rating — 111 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Evolution the Human Story by Alice Roberts 4.29 avg rating — 541 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Night Comes to the Cretaceous: Comets, Craters, Controversy, and the Last Days of the Dinosaurs by James Lawrence Powell 4.12 avg rating — 66 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution by Jonathan B. Losos 4.07 avg rating — 1,391 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Life of a Fossil Hunter by Charles H. Sternberg 3.90 avg rating — 157 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Future Eaters: An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People by Tim Flannery 4.21 avg rating — 939 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Sauropod Dinosaurs by Mark Hallett 4.64 avg rating — 44 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars