Customer Reviews:
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs.......2004-09-28
"The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs" written by Dr. Peter Wellnhofer is what is said in the title... an encyclopedia of Pterosaurs. Anything you wish to know about the Pterosaurs is in this book, if it is known. This book is excellent in comparative anatomy and has wonderful detailed and indepth illustrations, pictures and artwork to make the point.
I found this book to be very interesting and it opened my eyes to the varied and different species that were the Pterosours. Some with long tails, while others had hands attached to their wings. Without fossil finds and without paleontology, the study of life in the Earth's past, we would have no knowledge of this large, interesting, and indeed fascinating group of animals which became extinct, along with other saurians, at the end of the Cretaceous 65 million years ago. This means that no human being has ever seen a live Pterosaur, of which the largest had a wing-span of about 39 feet. We can only form an impression of them by scientific analysis of their fossil remains, bones and skeletal imprints of their skin and possibly tracks that they left behind of soft ground and by making comparisons with other flying vertebrates that we can study more closely, like birds and bats.
This book is very detailed and I wouldn't recommend it for a child unless they are exceptional, as this book imparts a very detailed knowledge into the life, habit, and habitat of Pterosaurs. In doing this it quickly becomes clear that Pterosaurs were different in many respects, Pterosaurs also occupy a special position vis-a-vis reptiles as we know them today, like snakes, lizards, tortoises, crocodiles and the tuatara. This book brings the Pterosaurs back to life in the mind's eye for no other reason this is an excellent text.
It is well-written with plenty of illustrations to example the points made in the text, giving the reader a through fixation to the points being made in the book. But that does not make them any less fascinating; indeed it leaves room for the imagination to play its part in forming an opinion of how these animals functioned. The contents of this book are as follows:
The History of Fosssil Finds
What are Pterosaurs?
Pterosaurs of the Triassic
Pterosaurs of the Jurassic
Pterosaurs of the Cretaceous
Life Style
Extinction of the Pterosaurs
Pterosaur Reconstructions
Other Flying Vertebrates
Systematics and Museums
Glossary
Index
At the time of the publication of "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs" Dr. Peter Wellnhofer has devoted twenty-five years in the study of Pterosaurs. The attention to detail shows in this published work. "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs" is an excellent reference book for those interested in dinosaurs and especially the pterosaurs. This is a solid 5 star book and there is no doubt about it, an excellent reference to your library.
Beautifully illustrated, indepth and thorough examination.......1998-01-28
This is not a "kid's book," although I would not hesitate to give it to any child seriously interested in Mesozoic life. The illustrations--beautiful color paintings and detailed charcoal sketches--are superb, top-of-the-line examples of reconstruction. The text is an exhaustive survey of the history of pterosaur finds, the taxonomy of pterosaurs, and an up-to-date review of their evolution, biomechanics and ecology. The painstaking descriptions of representative fossils some may find tedious (like I said, NOT a "children's book"), but I found it refreshing to read a mass-market, beautifully rendered reference that wasn't afraid to expose the general reader to the details of paleontology. In this, it is one of a kind, really, the "Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs," from the same publisher, coming close. Now, Mr. Publisher, how about a third volume covering the marine "reptiles" of the Mesozoic? I would purchase it in a heartbeat.
Book Description
Here is the ultimate book for dinosaur lovers--a complete identification guide featuring 600 dinosaurs, written by a leading expert and stunningly illustrated.
Customer Reviews:
EXCELLENT BOOK.......2007-09-20
This book is exactly how I wanted it! Perfect condition and way more dinosaurs that I thought even existed. Kudos Dougal Dixon!
Excellent - Congratulations.......2007-02-08
Thanks for your product - it's too much good!
It's satisfy my better expectatives...
Have a good day...
Great effort marred by some sloppy illustrations.......2006-11-17
As another reviewer has pointed out, several illustrations are just not good (the Spinosaurs stuck out in particular for me). Most of the illustrations are excellent which makes you wonder why the poor ones are in there. Another problem is that certain dinosaurs get a full page treatment while some popular dinosaurs get the standard 1/4 page. The first part of the book has some excellent material and the dinosaur "tree" runs across several pages and is really fun to look at. But again, the full-page illustrations dividing the dinosaur eras look like they were drawn by a grade schooler. Still the book is great just for browsing through on a rainy day.
Dixon slips on this one.......2006-11-10
As much as I admire Dougal Dixon's work, this book is disappointing in many ways although it gets an A for effort.
These days, with the computer-generated lifelike images of dinosaurs that are now familiar from the Dorling-Kindersley books and the WALKING WITH DINOSAURS shows and books, if a book is to rely instead on paintings, then they must reach a certain standard. John Sibbick's work for the David Norman and Peter Wellnhofer books would be an example.
Unfortunately, the artists in this book contribute rather wan, workmanlike pictures. This is especially problematic in a book treating so very many dinosaurs, since inevitably the job requires rendering several very similar related animals. The artists here tend towards rather ordinary side shots, and just rendering occasional genera in fanciful colors does not provide enough variety to avoid a certain monotony in terms of, for example, the stegosaurs or the prosauropods.
Too often, the artists have apparently not even been directed to render distinctive details of the creature in question. One mosasaur is described as having a large head -- but the picture has an ordinary head like all the others. A nodosaurid is described as having a long neck -- but the picture indicates no such thing, and so on.
The illustrations here would be fine in a book written in the early seventies (they recall typical dino illustrations in kids' dinosaur books of that time). But in an ambitious book like this they are disappointing.
There is also a problem with coverage. Dixon claims to cover "all" of the known genera, but that's an overstatement by a long shot. Rather, he covers most of them, while too often just mentioning others parenthetically, even ones just as well known in terms of material as the ones chosen to feature. Properly speaking, Dixon has selected a goodly number of the known genera, perhaps wanting to avoid a certain monotony in including every single one of groups of similar animals. But this still means that this is not, truly, a comprehensive survey in the way that the Glut encyclopedias, Gregory Paul's theropod book, or on-line lists are.
And it is unclear why in so many cases Dixon includes full illustrated entries on dinosaurs he readily acknowledges are known only from fragments, such as sometimes just a jaw or some leg bones, while again leaving out better known genera.
The text is okay, although each entry is divided into three parts, a kind of intro, a description getting down to specific structural features, and then an often extended caption to the picture. But often it is unclear what the real point is of subdividing the text into these three sections, any one of which could practically substitute for the other. It thus becomes distracting to deal with the choppy quality of the entries, which would better be written as a single piece of text.
Ultimately, the standard against which all dinosaur surveys should be measured is David Norman's from the eighties, which is now increasingly out of date but once gave the most solid, comprehensive coverage of the dinosaur subject possible for non-scientists, complete with John Sibbick's marvelous paintings. Short of a revision of that one, Dixon's book now stands as the closest equivalent, and it is clear that massive effort went into putting it together. (For the record, one nice aspect is the boxes on most page spreads addressing some interesting question such as what happened to the grand old genus TRACHODON.)
But as of now, I am still hoping somebody gives Norman and Sibbick a good deal to give us an encore.
All you want to know Guide.......2006-11-07
This is an awesome book, highly recommended for any one who wants a guide to all known dinosaurs. The illustrations are very accurate to habitat and body structure. It goes beyond your basic dinosaurs. Great to use by itself or with other dinosaur guides. The information is also well put together with a lot of background about the names and species.
If you love Dinosaurs, you deffinately want this in your collection.
I use mine all the time for research for my art, very pleased with it.
Average customer rating:
- Recommended by paleontologists!
- amazing
- Not for those older than 4.5 billion years old
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Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs
David Norman ,
Peter Wellnhofer , and
Peter Welnhoffer
Manufacturer: Salamander Books
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Encyclopedia Of Dinosaurs
ASIN: 1840652047 |
Customer Reviews:
Recommended by paleontologists!.......2007-08-17
My son (13) and I went on a dinosaur dig this last summer. I asked the a professor and some of the regulars on the dig what they would recommend as a book for my son. They all agreed that this was one of the best. It also helped identifying some of the bones we were finding! I really hope they reprint and update this book with the new information that is available, it is a real treasure.
amazing.......2000-04-23
It is a shame that this book is not available now. Although it was written in 1988 and thus it is not up-to-date with the discoveries of the past 12 years this book is still an amazing read. What is written in it is still valid and gives readers a fascinating visual tour of the long-disappeared world. I hope there will be a reprint and maybe also an addendum focusing on new discoveries.
Not for those older than 4.5 billion years old.......1998-12-14
If you are looking for dinosaurs, dinosaurs, and more dinosaurs, this is the place to look. This book has the most important information about well known dinosaurs including T-Rex and Velociraptor, to minors such as Stenonychosaurus and Opisthocoelicaudia, accompanied by lovely drawings and painting by leading Paloeillustrator John Sibbick with a smattering of the history of Paleontology, it's innovators and their theories. A good reference for the professional as well as the beginner. Highly Recommended
Book Description
Come jaw-to-jaw with an amazing array of awe-inspiring prehistoric reptiles and other incredible creatures in this dramatic trek back in time to the dawn of life on our planet and the age of the dinosaurs. Spectacular, full-color illustrations, photographs, and realistic dinosaur reconstructions based on the latest scientific discoveries bring each creature to life. The text combines hard facts about dinosaurs with interesting and intriguing details about their lifestyle and behavior. Species spreads detail the members of specific dinosaur families, giving information about their habitats and behavior, sizes, and the locations of fossil finds, while special subject spreads focus on various aspects of dinosaur life. Packed with dramatic photographs and illustrations, this colorful volume is an indispensable reference for young dinosaur enthusiasts and a captivating resource for the whole family. Special Features: Comprehensive, chronological encyclopedia of dinosaurs through the ages. Timelines give a visual guide to prehistoric periods. Up-to-the-minute research focuses on the latest finds. Includes glossary and general index.
Customer Reviews:
a very good book.......2007-01-04
If you have a kid who is crazy for dinosaurs, this is the book for you! Lots of clear pictures where you can really see the animals from head to toe. Although this is by no means a complete dinosaur encyclopedia, there are pronounciations for these impossible words and helpful scales comparing each dinosaur to an adult human.
The Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia.......2004-07-07
The Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia written by David Burnie and illustrated by John Sibbick is a wonderful text with plenty of well captured illustrations along with the text to captivate your imagination about what dinosaurs were like. This text vividly captures you as it attempts to recreate the lives of the different dinosaurs covered in this encyclopedia.
"The Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia" is arranged in a chronological order giving copious attention to dinosaur habits and habitats. Also, there is attention to detail about information on how fossil finds can be interpreted as the information is related to the time of the dinosaurs. The writing is easily understandable and children will wonder at the pictutres along with the prose.
I found this book to be up-to-date on a lot of information and is and outstanding guide to dinosaur life and times. There is some comparative anatomy, as the book goes into detail about the Maximum Length, Time, and Fossil finds as to location as to where these animals were found. This makes the book interesting as we see contrast to different types of dinosaurs as to location on the map. Also, the interrealtion of species to one another.
"The Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia" is a book that can be used as a reference as well when comparing different dinosaurs to one another. The contents of this book is as follows:
Life in the Distant Past
The Age of Ancient Life
The Age of Reptiles
Plant-Eating Giants
Ornithopods
The Meat Eaters
Giant Meat Eaters
Armored Dinosaurs
Reptiles in the Air
Reptiles in the Sea
The Age of Mammals
There are subcatigories in each of these major chapters and there is adequate detail making for and interesting read. Dinosaurs are a significant part of prehistory. The more we discover about dinosaurs, the more we find out about the world we live in today.
This book rates a solid five stars for imaginative illustration and a text that is easily understood giving the reader a well-rounded view of life's past. You will not be disappointed with this book as it is unbelievably rewarding.
Average customer rating:
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The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals
Manufacturer: Marshall Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Veterinary
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ASIN: 1840281529 |
Customer Reviews:
Best In Dinosaurs.......2004-06-17
All of the Marshall Editions are nice espically this dinosaur illustrated book that helped me alot it is the best of all..
Average customer rating:
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The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Prehistoric Life
Dougal Dixon , and
Rupert Matthews
Manufacturer: Hamlyn young books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0603554245 |
Product Description
BRAND NEW LEATHERBOUND BOOK ACCENTED IN 22 KT GOLD.
Average customer rating:
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Prehistoric world (The Simon and Schuster illustrated encyclopedia)
M. J Benton
Manufacturer: Little Simon
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ASIN: 0671644920 |
Book Description
In this exceptionally innovative work, Walter McDougall projects on a large screen four hundred years of exciting voyages of discovery, pioneering feats, engineering marvels, political plots and business chicanery, racial clashes and brutal wars. It is a chronicle complete with little-known facts and turning points, but always focused on the remarkable people at the center of events, among them the America-loving Japanese ambassador to Washington on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Russian builder of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and a Hawaiian queen during the first period of Western competition for the islands.
Let the Sea Make a Noise . . . is a gripping account of the rise and fall of the empires in the last, vast, unexplored corner of the habitable earth -- an area occupying one-sixth of the globe. There is no other book that covers these same subjects in this wealth of detail and with such chronological scope.
Customer Reviews:
An amazingly well written history of the North Pacific.......2005-06-22
This is a terrific book. It is the history of the Pacific Ocean for the past 400 years. It is surprising what that involves because so many nations from all around the world made strenuous efforts to control, colonize, and conquer so many places along its continental coasts and its many islands. It also involves many different indigenous cultures and a hugely changing political scene.
One of the reasons I love the book is Walter McDougall's lively and engaging writing style. This is a book of solid scholarship, but it is full of art as well. One of the problems facing anyone who would write such a history is how to tell it in a coherent way. McDougall came up with a brilliant literary solution. He has the author dream the key characters in periodic conversations about the events under consideration with the Hawiian Kaahumanu as the central and governing center of the wheel. Reading this book was a real pleasure for me. I read a lot and widely, and this book was a special pleasure.
It begins in 1565 with early European exploration of the Pacific and ends just after the Second World War and ends with a bunch of questions, ponderables, the author calls them, about the 1990s. Some of them seem to have been acted on, but many issues continue to this day and some new ones could be added to the list. Along the way there is the settling of Alaska, of Russian ambition, of Japans rise from its isolation to become a military empire, of China, of Spain, of the rise of America and Canada. It is a story of commerce, religion, culture, and of great violence. Hugely dramatic and very informative.
I know it will seem unlike any other history you have ever read. And that is only one of its many virtues.
A Glorious Journey Through Time.......2004-08-25
The best books are those so rich in character and content that you can revisit them time and again, certain that you will discover new layers of enjoyment and insight with each reading. Walter A. McDougall's "Let the Sea Make a Noise... : A History of the North Pacific from Magellan to MacArthur" is just such a book. How fortunate we are that Perennial has newly released this volume in paperback!
McDougall takes the reader on a glorious (though sometimes harrowing) journey through time. He has succeeded in combining painstaking research and carefully considered commentary with a wonderfully woven and witty narrative. This gripping tale of the North Pacific is a genuine page-turner: a rare treat on the menu of today's history books!
Contrary to the lone opinion of a Washington State Amazon reader, rest assured that "Let the Sea Make a Noise..." is a balanced and scholarly presentation of the complexities of international relations. Written in the early 1990s (when Japan's economic prominence in the midst of Soviet collapse was the source of widespread international concern), McDougall's insights in "Let the Sea Make a Noise..." are often profoundly visionary and always poignant and honest. He has done an outstanding job of crafting an entertaining, yet intricate examination of the motivating forces that have shaped a wondrous region of our planet.
Once you have enjoyed this book, be sure to seek out McDougall's just-published "Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American History: 1585-1828".
Gets worse each time I read it..........2004-03-29
This is one of those books that a) read really racist only a few years after they're written, and b)are really off when it comes to speculating about the future.
For example: this book rah-rah's the United States, glossing over ther racism experienced by Japanese, Chinese, and of course, the Hawaiians. The fact that Hawaiians got screwed out of most of their country, is ignored, as is the massive genocide of Californian Native Americans.
What's most striking to me, though, is the utter lack of vision- McDougall utterly doesn't anticipate the rapid rise of China, (who "always slays itself") nor the torpor of present day Japan.
McDougall's also quite ignorant about how things haven't really changed in Japan (the power centers are still pretty much what they were during the war, only now, they're just not militarisitc.)
This book did not make a noise when published but should hav.......1999-05-21
e. The tumultuous daring and suffering of the explorers of the North Pacific has never been so vividly and breathtakingly brought to life on the page. That this book should be written by an academic with a Ph.D no less makes it all the more amazing. This is narrative history as Francis Parkman would be writing it if alive today. Fanciers of Patrick O'Brien and the Forester novels should look into this book. Truth here is stanger than fiction--and just as well written.
An amazing addition to the storied history of the Pacific........1999-04-12
As a former student of Professor McDougall, I am fully aware of his many talents as a teacher and a writer. In Let the Sea Make a Noise, Professor McDougall shares all of his talents in a most enjoyable fashion.
The running conversation between several of the siginficant personalities who shaped the history of the Pacific explains why events unfolded as they did. Although lighthearted at times, these conversations clearly set forth the policies and morals possessed by the nations who constantly struggled in this vast expanse.
Similarly, Professor McDougall's descriptions of the significant events of this era are outstanding. It often feels like you are there.
Most noteworthy, Professor McDougall cuts to the heart of the issues, shares only the essential facts, and demonstrates their significance. Thus, the reader can appreciate the complex multitiude of attitudes, personalities, and morals that caused nations to act the way they did.
Always entertaining and certainly insightful, this book is a must read for any person interested in the history of this region.
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