The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs
Dr. David Norman
Crescent
Nonfiction, Dinosaurs
Themes: Dinosaurs, Encyclopedias
*****
Description
A book outlining dinosaurs as we currently understand them, from appearance to speculations on diet, habits and lifestyles. Many illustrations cover their origins and the major classes of Dinosauria and a few non-saurian contemporaries, such as the flying pterosaurs and sea-dwelling reptiles.
Review
I've always had a minor interest in dinosaurs and other extinct prehistoric creatures, and this is one of the best books I own on the subject. The
illustrations, covering skeletons, muscles and (presumed) external appearances are simply spectacular. The text is easy to read and informative, even if you're
not a trained paleontologist. It's fascinating how little we know about them, and how we've learned what we think we do know. Highly recommended to anyone
interested in the subject!
(The only drawback is that this was published in the 1980's, and I've been unable to locate an up-to-date dinosaur book that combines Norman's easily-accessible
- yet not dumbed-down - writing style with the wonderfully detailed illustrations.)