Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks and Other Sea Monsters

Book Description

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water! The second astonishing ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA book from Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart is about to pop up everywhere.

While dinosaurs patrolled the lands, massive prehistoric sharks, giant scorpions, and colossal squid cruised the ancient oceans - most with just one thing in mind: eat or be eaten. In this companion volume to the best-selling ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS, pop-up masters Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart explore the prehistoric underwater world, where monsters like megalodon ruled the waves.

Full of captivating facts and more than 35 breathtaking pop-ups, this incredible volume is sure to astonish and amaze everyone from budding marine biologists to confirmed landlubbers. After all, if prehistoric coelacanths and crocodiles are still around, what else might be lurking in today's largely unexplored oceans?

Customer Reviews:

Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks and other Sea Monsters.......2007-10-03

Absolutely gorgeous and intriguing pop-ups. Good information about the sharks and sea monsters. I love all things by Robert Sabuda. Good for kids 4 and older.

Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks and Other Sea Monsters.......2007-08-25

This is an awesome pop up book! I bought it for my 3 year old's B-Day. He loves looking at the book while I read to him about the prehistoric Mega-Beasts. I actually have learned a lot myself from this book. Although you would normally think this book is for boys. My six year old daughter also enjoys me reading these books to her. They are fun and very educational. I am a high school teacher and I really think this pop up book would be very valuable to any science classroom. I liked this book so much I also purchased the other two in the set!

Excellent pop up book, reading is complicated.......2007-08-16

Cool book. Reading is over the age category of my daughters, but they simply enjoy the pop ups.

Absolutely amazing!!!.......2007-08-13

This book is unbelievable! The attention to detail is fantastic. Absolute value for money and a must for any child who is as taken with sharks dinosaurs as my son is.

Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks and Other Sea Monsters.......2007-08-12

Robert Sabuda always does a fantastic job and this is just another example of an exciting, educational pop-up book.

The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs

Average customer rating:

a specialised text
An amazing book on the evolutionary history of dinosaurs.
This books really needs an editor...
Great book
Clades of the past

The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs
David E. Fastovsky , and David B. Weishampel
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521811724

Book Description

Written for non-specialists, this detailed survey of dinosaur origins, diversity, and extinction is designed as a series of successive essays covering important and timely topics in dinosaur paleobiology, such as "warm-bloodedness," birds as living dinosaurs, the new, non-flying feathered dinosaurs, dinosaur functional morphology, and cladistic methods in systematics. Its explicitly phylogenetic approach to the group is that taken by dinosaur specialists. The book is not an edited compilation of the works of many individuals, but a unique, cohesive perspective on Dinosauria. Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of new, specially commissioned illustrations by John Sibbick, world-famous illustrator of dinosaurs, the volume includes multi-page drawings as well as sketches and diagrams. First edition Hb (1996): 0-521-44496-9 David E. Fastovsky is Professor of Geosciences at the University of Rhode Island. Fastovsky, the author of numerous scientific publications dealing with Mesozoic vertebrate faunas and their ancient environments, is also scientific co-Editor of Geology. He has undertaken extensive fieldwork studying dinosaurs and their environments in Montana, North Dakota, Arizona, Mexico, and Mongolia. David B. Weishampel is a professor at the Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution at Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine. Weishampel is best known for discovering, researching, and naming several rare European dinosaur species. During the 1980s Weishampel gained fame for his work with American paleontologist Jack Horner and later named the famous plant-eating, egg-laying Orodromeus, Horner. Now, a decade after his pioneering studies with Horner, Weishampel is most widely known for his current work on the Romanian dinosaur fauna. He is the author and co-author of many titles, including The Dinosaur Papers, 1676-1906 (Norton, 2003); The Dinosauria, (University of California, 1990); and Dinosaurs of the East Coast, (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996).

Customer Reviews:

a specialised text.......2007-06-11

The book is meant as a textbook at the undergraduate or graduate level. For readers who are perhaps inclined to major in paleontology. It is not a layman's book, like a typical "Dinosaur" book positioned towards readers who want to ooh and aah. Such books are indeed very important to attract a general readership to this field. But, so to speak, those books derive from this book (and others like it). Yes, maybe much of this book is "dry", as some others have remarked. So too are most advanced texts in most scientific fields.

However, if you don't have much of a technical background in dinosaur reading, the book can still be interesting reading. Provided you are willing to put in some effort. There is substantial jargon, as in any field. But many descriptions of dinosaur behaviour are still compelling reading and quite understandable.

Plus, this second edition [written in 2005] also includes fresh excavation results in places like China. Which until recent years have had relatively little dinosaur digging. There have been significant finds that have enhanced our knowledge of dinosaurs.

An amazing book on the evolutionary history of dinosaurs........2007-04-03

The number one complaint I have heard about this book is that it is too dry; that it does not focus enough on the dinosaurs, and instead focuses on cladograms, evolution, and just in general, things that aren't dinosaurs. I suggest to those complaining to read the title of the book, "The Evolution and Extinction of Dinosaurs". No, it's not "Everything You Want to Know About Dinosaurs," and no, it's not "Information About Dinosaurs Themselves, And Not Their Evolution" either. This book is about what the title suggests it is about: the evolution and extinction of dinosaurs, and I find that it does an amazing job of explaining just that. If you are looking for a book containing everything you need to know about dinosaurs themselves, I believe one of Weishampel's other works, "The Dinosauria", will suit your needs.

The book, as others have mentioned, is divided into 4 parts:

Part I: Setting the Stage goes over everything you'll need to know to appreciate the rest of the book. The introduction chapter reviews the process of collecting fossils, and introduces the reader to paleontology in general. The next chapter describes how we analyze the fossils and discusses techniques to date fossils such as chronostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy etc. Chapter 3 then moves on to discussing cladograms and how we graphically represent evolutionary trees. Chapters 4 and 5 then discuss the very origins of dinosaurs, starting with the very origins of chordates. Overall, this isn't particularly interesting if what you really want to know about is dinosaurs, but it still provides a good background to paleontology. This section also discusses how dinosaurs came to exist, in terms of evolution, which in my opinion is just as important as what evolutionary processes took place during and after the time of the dinosaurs.

Part II: Ornithischia and Part III: Saurischia discuss the dinosaurs themselves and follow a very intuitive and organized format. Each chapter discusses a different set of dinosaurs and follows the same basic organization: a "Lives and Lifestyles" section, containing what we know of feeding habits, mating, etc, a section on evolution, and a section on the history of the group's discovery. The only chapters that deviate from this are 13- The Origin of Birds, which discusses the ancestry of living birds and the the evolution of feathered dinosaurs, and chapter 14- The Early Evolution of Birds, which, as can be guessed, discusses the evolution of actual birds from dinosaurs. This section contains a lot of information about the dinosaurs themselves, as well as information concerning the evolution of the various types of dinosaurs. Although it does not contain a as much information on the dinosaurs themselves as you'd find from other books, as I have mentioned, that is not the main focus. This book excels, however, at providing detailed information on the evolution and history of discovery of each clade, and these sections offer the most specific evolutionary information in the book, while other sections describe evolution in terms of dinosaurs as a whole and patterns in evolution.

Part IV: Endothermy, Environments, And Extinction takes the focus off of the dinosaurs themselves and discusses three key points. Chapter 15 discusses the evidence of warm-bloodedness in dinosaurs, and is one of the most interesting chapters in the book, in my opinion. Chapter 16 tracks the evolutionary patterns of dinosaurs through time, while chapters 17 and 18 discuss the various mass extinctions affecting the dinosaurs, including the most famous one 65 million years ago. Other than chapter 15, I would consider this the driest section of the book. There are some interesting points, but overall it just doesn't seem to hold my attention.

Overall, the book is very informative and very suitable for use in college courses, or even by the amateur paleontologist. This book doesn't offer an amazing breadth of information regarding the actual characteristics of dinosaurs, but it's really not supposed to. What this book DOES offer is a very in-depth look at the evolutionary tree of dinosaurs: the evolution of dinosaurs as a whole from the primitive archosaurs of pre-mesozoic times, the evolution of the hundreds of species of dinosaurs that came about during the mesozoic, and the evolution of the descendants of the dinosaurs: birds. This is the best book I have read on the subject of the hsitory of dinosaurs, including their rise, their downfall, and their legacy.

Like many others, I used this book for a course. The edition I am reviewing is the second edition, published in 2005. I noticed almost no typos or grammatical errors, so I assume reviewers complaining of such were reviewing the first edition, and these issues were fixed in the reprint.

This books really needs an editor..........2007-02-02

... way too many mispellings and grammatical errors for a college-level book. I was disappointed.

Great book.......2006-03-15

I've read several dinosaur books and I've generally found them to be very good. This one, along with "The Complete Dinosaur", ranks as one of my favorites. The reason I was interested in this book was that I was looking for something that focused on the evolution of dinosaurs and how the various taxa of dinosaurs related to each other. I was also looking for something at an intermediate level. This book exceeded my expectations on all fronts.

The first two chapters mainly covered background material such as geological time scales, isotopic dating and fossilization. The next two introduced some concepts of evolution (not including natural selection, an understanding of this is presumed) and a very high level view of chordates. The discussion of clade diagrams was very through.

After a chapter on the origin of dinosaurs, the book goes on devotes the next several chapters to describing a wide variety of dinosaur taxa and how they are related to each other. The chapters are grouped into parts, each part starts off with some high level discussion of a taxon. Then the individual chapters go on to elaborate the points by describing the taxa within the taxon. The chapters usually start with a description of the taxa's anatomy, distribution and behavior. Typically a fairly coarse grained clade diagram is presented early and more fine grained diagrams are presented as the chapter continues. The characteristics that distinguish one taxa from another are also described. The material isn't just presented as facts, it is justified by evidence from the fossil record. I liked the level of detail the authors typically chose, however someone else may want more or less.

The final two chapters of the theropod part deal with the evolution of birds. I found the discussion of the origin of feathers to be very good. I especially enjoyed the illustrations (I thought the illustrations throughout the book were quite good) showing how they evolved and the structure of feathers used for flying versus those primarily useful for insulation.

The remainder of the book deals with dinosaurs as a whole. I thought the chapter on thermoregulation was very good, much of the information being useful for studying animals in general, not just dinosaurs (the same could be said for several other parts of the book too). Following the thermoregulation chapter there is a chapter on patterns in dinosaur evolution that I thought really tied the previous material in the book together. The treatment of non-avian dinosaur extinction was excellent and balanced.

My one quibble about the content concerns what I consider to be an omission. The authors address the question of "is a cow a fish". They naturally answer "yes". In my opinion it would have been nice if they had then gone on to discuss this in more detail, explaining how this means fish don't form a clade. This would have been a good opportunity to discuss the concept of a grade and perhaps paraclade too. The reason I this discussing fish as a grade is important is that basically everybody has an idea that there is a group of animals they can classify as fish and this group doesn't include cows. I think it would've been nice to help them understand what they mean when they think of fish and why it doesn't conflict with the statement "a cow is a fish".

There are a couple errors, but they are easily recognized. For example on page 77 they refer to synapids as reptiles then on the following two pages they break up amniotes into synapsids and reptiles. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like a contradiction.

As much as I liked this book it's not for everyone (what book would be?). Obviously it's not cheap. If you're not interesting in dinosaur cladistics this book probably is not a great choice. If your main interest is more along the lines of a dinosaur catalog with descriptions of various dinosaur ways of life you can certainly find better books, especially at the price (although I still think this would be a good book). However, if you are interested in dinosaur evolution, along with how dinosaurs made their way in the world, then I think this is a great book.

Clades of the past.......2005-09-21

"Dinosaur!" The word still makes children's faces bright with excitement. "Can we go to the museum, Dad?" - and a golf game is set aside. The authors note how pervasive the dinosaur has become in our society. We live in "dinosaur-crazy times with documentaries, colouring books and films - "we have thrice feasted on Jurassic Park movies". The authors feel this familiarity is all to the good - we learn something of Nature's ways from some of this exposure. They want us to take the next step and learn something of what the professional paleontologist does to bring the wealth of information about dinosaurs to our ken. We also need to understand what conditions prevailed while dinosaurs dominated the planet for 160 million years. That's a real success story and it deserves our attention.

In presenting their story of these impressive animals, the authors start with the general environment. Dating rocks is a fundamental aspect of how dinosaurs developed over time. The explain the science of "chronostratigraphy" using the classical examples of layered rock and moving on to how radioactive isotopes provide dating. They portray what an organism goes through in the process of fossilisation, and how fortunate we are to have anything to assess. Continental drift, which at once complicates and explains what would otherwise appear as anomolies, adds background. Climate is a further tool to explain how the creatures studied lived at the time.

With this background provided, they move on to depict the origin of dinosaurs. It's not a simple picture, as these "terrible lizards" didn't engage in a "takeover" of the planet as a given. It was a long, slow process from small beginnings. The first fossils, named by Darwin's major nemesis, Richard Owen, were an enigma. Years of study and conjecture led to the beginnings of dinosaur classification. The years of "the bone wars" in North America provided much insight into dinosaur development and diversity. As the story unfolds, the authors turn to an organisational method known as "cladistics". Clade diagrams demonstrating relationship between organisms are used to link more recent forms with their ancestral roots. It's an effective method, requiring only visible physical traits to establish the relationships. That, however, remains its greatest limitation and the source of enduring controversy.

Each segment of the book depicts a type - Stegosauria with their massive back plates, Ceratopsia with their massive horns and frilled skulls and Theropoda, "nature red in tooth and claw". The types are described in detail, with an anatomy lesson provided for the type. The evolution of each is traced, with additional material on eating habits, social make-up and how they attacked or defended themselves. Capping each section is an account of how each was first discovered, with biographies of the major figures in paleontology appended. In this second edition, the book updates the information gathered in the past decade. The update shows how the profession of palaeontology has expanded and enriched our knowledge. With lavish illustration by John Sibbick, the presentation is flawless, providing a wealth of new and detailed information.

Palaeontology is not without its disputes, and the authors carefully explain the issues, the scientists holding disparate views and how these are likely to be resolved. Among the enduring issues are whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded and the relationship between them and modern birds. The authors are unequivocal in their stance on these debates, sustaining their case on the available evidence. Their approach gives full voice to the disputants in these controversies, providing complete assessment of the data.

The book is a treasure for anyone interested in these animals that loomed so large in the history of life on our planet. Given the environmental, dietary, body structure and development information provided here, another edition will likely be some time in appearing. If your child mentions the word "dinosaur", have this book handy for answering their questions. And when they ask you to defer your golf match for a trip to the museum to see the reconstructions of these mighty, and not so mighty, animals, donate the time without remorse. You, too, may see them again with a child's eyes. But you will be prepared for what you'll be seeing. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! (Boynton on Board)

Average customer rating:

Not your every-day opposites book
Boynton Fan
One of Our Favorites
My kids LOVE Boynton!
Dinosaur Power!

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! (Boynton on Board)
Sandra Boynton
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 1563054418

Book Description

Sunbathing dinosaurs and artistic dinosaurs, dancing dinosaurs and volleyball-playing dinosaurs make learning opposites fun! From Boynton on Board, the bestselling series of extra-big, extra-fat, extra-appealing board books, Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! is a book of opposites featuring the inimitable Sandra Boyntonís colorful, humorous drawings and lively text.

Main selection of the Childrenís Book-of-the-Month Club. Main selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club. Suitable for ages 1-4.

Customer Reviews:

Not your every-day opposites book.......2007-10-22

This is probably the most clever and entertaining opposites book I've come across so far.

Like most of Boynton's work, this book is filled with cute illustrations in her classic fun style. The rhymes are great and have that fun-to-recite quality found in most of her books.

If you're drawn to this book because your young child loves dinosaurs, don't pass it up! This is a great story for bedtime, or any time.

Boynton Fan.......2007-09-25

As others have said, a wonderful book. We own a couple, but this is the favorite and plan to get more. Our two year old actually reads this to me every night before bed. That is the beauty of how Ms. Boynton's books are written. You read and re-read a couple of times, then the children "read" to us! Great work and highly recommended!!

One of Our Favorites.......2007-06-30

My 10-month old twin boys love reading time and this is one of their favorites. We just love Sandra Boynton books in general, but this is one of the ones we all like the best.

My kids LOVE Boynton!.......2007-05-31

My kids love this book, and all her books! This one particularly because it can be so interactive. We've got them all!

Dinosaur Power!.......2007-02-22

My child loves this book, and loves to say the title. I like how all the Boynton books rhyme. He reads all her books so much he can say/finish a lot of the sentences already, and he's only 20 months old. I think they really helped my child to speak so much, so early.

The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life

Average customer rating:

An engrossing and informative volume for laymen or experts
Engaging at first, but then the flaws ...
On the second thought...
An incredible work
Fascinating pictures and fascinating text !

The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life
Barry Cox , Colin Harrison , R.J.G. Savage , Brian Gardiner , and Douglas Palmer
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684864118

Book Description

An unmatched reference work distinguished by its erudition and beauty, The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures is an illustrated who's who of prehistoric life, a Baedeker of more than 500 million years of evolution on Earth.

With entries for more than 600 species, each arranged in its evolutionary sequence, the book presents a panorama of enormous diversity, from predatory dinosaurs to primitive amphibians, from giant armored fish to woolly mammoths, saber-tooth tigers and dire wolves. Each entry features a specially commissioned full-color painting prepared according to the best research of today in close collaboration with world-renowned paleontologists. The records of the rocks -- fossil bones, teeth, skin, hair and even footprints and nests -- have been combined with knowledge of the anatomy and behavior of present-day descendants to arrive at informed judgments about posture, color and other aspects of appearance.

Lively and informative "biographies" of the creatures accompany these remarkable illustrations: how they moved, what they ate, where they ranged and the habitats and ecological niches they occupied. Comparisons are made wherever possible with familiar living animals, highlighting both the contrasts and similarities. Also included are articles on subjects such as the time scale of evolution, fossil formation and interpretation and convergent evolution.

Truly a magnificent sourcebook, The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures is both a triumph of scholarship and a work of art. It will stand as the best and most accurate presentation of the prehistoric animal world available.

Customer Reviews:

An engrossing and informative volume for laymen or experts.......2005-02-09

This volume is the best one I've found on prehistoric creatures. Having always been fascinated by them, I wanted as an adult to find something to broaden the base I'd built as a kid obsessed with Tyrannosaurus and trilobites. Though I'm far from a paleontologist or even a biologist (my own training is in anthropology and linguistics) I find this book a pleasure to browse and consult.

Beginning with the earliest worm-like organisms and evolving through the early fish, amphibians and armored sea creatures, the book continues on up through dinosaurs, Pleistocene megafauna and finally simians and hominids. The desciptions are brief but seem informative, but it is the quality of the artwork that I value most. I never tire of looking at the colorful depictions of the denizens of Devonian swamps, Ordovician seas and Jurassic forests.

So, while I cannot pretend to be an authority, and though I certainly must defer some credibility and ask that you look at my review in conjunction with those of my fellow critics who disagree, I offer my personal recommendation on this book to any person interested in prehistoric life and what it must have been like.

Engaging at first, but then the flaws ..........2000-07-04

This book looked great at first, but then, on closer inspection, the drawings are second-rate, the information is thin, and the inaccuracies mount. Yet, there are no real alternatives that seek to comprehensively catalogue ancient life. I'd still buy it, but my enthusiasm has waned.

On the second thought..........2000-02-24

Several months after acquiring the book I leaf through it and wonder how I could have given it such a high rating as I did. It has flaws throughout!

- The book appears to have a drastic shortage of species to list - it is only half as thick as Simon and Schuster's Encyclopedia of Animals - despite the fact that on numerous occasions they list but one or two species from a thirty-species family;

- The art is severely degraded from the above mentioned encyclopedia of animals. While I can see the puzzlement concerning the colors of the creatures' hides, there is no excuse for the the sloppy drawings of several of the animals! If you make a conjecture, please, be sure to follow through! On several of the animals the hair cover fails to obey the laws of physics, and most of the amphibians look like a horrid joke.

- The information is sketchy at best - on numerous occasions special biological mechanisms are mentioned (like a new jaw bone arrangement for the fishes, and the skull structures of the early land animals), yet are never explained in function. Almost all species are captioned with the basics like weight and dimensions followed with senseless filler.

- The between-section class summarizations and the cladistic graphs are also very, very basic. While I understand that the book was not intended for specialists, even the basic layman will find the charts a bit "dumbed down".

This book is flashy and artful, but lacking, lacking a great lot.

An incredible work.......1999-12-28

I have always longed for such a book. Probably it's a grave mistake on my part to make that the firt sentense of a review, but still. I daresay, anyone who has ever been in the very least intereste in paleontology has always longed for this sort of tome. The authors have satisfied both our love of visuals ( pictures are abundant - they accompiny every entry, in full blazing color by very trustworthy artists, generally sure to catch anyone's eye) and our love of the unknown ( this is the first non-specialist book that I have seen that goes beyond the everyday banal creatures like the pachycephalosaurus and the pterosaurids). This book is sheer pleasure while doing any sort of research, even for the specialists who need solid information. Perhaps there isn't quite enough data with every entry ( due to page limits), but the information that is included is accurate and up-to-date. This is a very good book.

Fascinating pictures and fascinating text !.......1999-11-10

I have been looked for such a book for a long time, and now I have it. Reading this book is delightful, as it gives you plenty of informations about prehistoric animals in a very attractive manner. You have very nice pictures of all animals, with a short explanation giving all essential data about them (size, anatomic singularities, food habits, ...). In addition, extremely interesting introducing sections give you a vision of each branch of animals, together with explanations on the evolutionary process concerning them.

This very up-to-date pictorial guide to now disappeared animals is a treasure for anybody interested in evolution and diversification of life. It gives you enough matter to become a specialist in this domain ! If you want to have one book on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, make it be this one.

Average customer rating:

Great work

The Gold Standard

Best Pterosaur book in print

Flying, landing and laying

Norway

The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time
David M. Unwin
Manufacturer: Pi Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Oceans Of Kansas: A Natural History Of The Western Interior Sea (Life of the Past)

Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Life in the Triassic (Life of the Past)

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The Dinosauria

Unearthing the Dragon

ASIN: 013146308X

Book Description

Here is the first complete portrait of the legendary flying dragons of deep time–the pterosaurs–designed for non-specialists, yet founded on the real science of these bizarre creatures. Presented lucidly and accessibly by one of the world’s leading experts, David Unwin’s book is built on a mountain of new fossil discoveries and the latest research.

About 220 millions years ago, a group of reptiles took to the Earth’s vast and open skies. No longer tethered to the ground, the earliest pterosaurs evolved into a multitude of diverse forms, spread around the globe, and ruled the skies until they went extinct along with the dinosaurs about 65 millions years ago, rarely leaving fossils as a record of their existence. What they did leave was a mystery for paleontologists to solve; an enigma so difficult to crack that it took centuries of false starts and missteps before the path to a true understanding of pterosaurs was uncovered.

Now, an understanding of the fundamental nature of these strange creatures is finally possible. In the last 15 years, stunning new fossil finds and significant advances in technology have led to a breakthrough in our knowledge of pterosaurs. New fossils of the earliest species were discovered in Italy, a remarkably well-preserved and complete wing was found in Central Asia, and, most extraordinarily, a pterosaur embryo inside an egg was unearthed in China. CAT scanning has let researchers glimpse inside pterosaur skulls and construct three-dimensional images of their bodies from crushed bones, and modern techniques for analyzing relationships between species have revealed surprising insights into the evolution of the group.

Drawing on these and other advances, David Unwin, caretaker of Archaeopteryx and curator at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, paints pterosaurs and their world more vividly than has previously been possible. He eloquently reconstructs their biology and behavior. Pterosaurs weren’t scaly like dinosaurs, but hairy; most were brightly colored and adorned with remarkable head crests; they were excellent fliers with physiologically sophisticated wings; they walked on all fours; and varied in size from eight inches to forty feet in wingspan. He shows how they lived their lives, raised their young, and interacted with the different environments of Mesozoic Earth. Then, building on his thorough examination of their anatomy and lifestyle, and using the powerful technique of cladistic analysis, Unwin unravels the evolutionary history of pterosaurs and establishes their place in the one great tree of life.

Packed with 95 color and 30 black and white illustrations–including 10 full-page original color paintings that are scientific recreations of different pterosaur species–The Pterosaurs From Deep Time takes readers on an wondrous expedition back through the lost world of the Earth’s deep past.

Customer Reviews:

Great work.......2006-12-16

The pterosaurs were the group of flying reptiles (probably) that lived during the time of dinosaurs. Little was known about them until the last three decades when numerous fossil finds on multiple continents cleared up many things about them such as their reproduction (eggs), skeletal structure (hollow bones with air sacs), development (continuous growth), etc... This book summarizes all of this knowledge into one work that is easy to read, very informative, and well organized. The text is interspersed with numerous figures ranging from photos and micrographs of fossils to color illustrations. The book's chapters focus on specific parts of the pterosaus such as their flying skills, walking skills, childhood, etc... The author does a great job of describing what is known about pterosaurs, what is unknown, and how scientists have arrived at these conclusions. The use of science is quite liberal as the author refers to physics, aerodynamics, biochemistry, taxonomy and other fields in the explanation of the book's concepts. As such, I would not recommend it for anyone without a high school diploma at least. But for those with a good general background in science, this book is quite enjoyable.

The Gold Standard.......2006-03-22

An outstanding work, David Unwin's book 'The Pterosaurs from Deep Time' should be considered the standard by which other popular (and even textbook!) books on paleontology should be compared. If only something similar could be written about the various sea-reptiles of the Mesozoic! Very well researched, excellent diagrams, photos and artwork, all the latest information, truly brilliant!

Best Pterosaur book in print.......2005-11-27

This is by far the best book on pterosaurs for the non-technical reader in print. Only the 1990 or 1991 extremely well-illustrated _Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs_ by Peter Wellenhoffer has better photos and artwork; it is out of print and dated in many ways (and difficult to find at a reasonable price). Unwin discusses a number of recent fossil finds, including discoveries of pterosaur eggs with embryos from the Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous Lianong Province of China, and eggs from other deposits as well. I was particularly impressed by the specimen that had the fragment of plant material lodged in the lower jaw of the animal, keeping the pterosaur from being able to feed or close its mouth properly. In spite of the fragile and often fragmentary nature of the fossil record for pterosaurs, there are some really fantastic specimens turning up from time to time.

Giving this book less than 5 stars is shameful!

If you are interested in pterosaurs, BUY THIS BOOK!

The only problem I had with this book was that the Publisher originally set a publication date in the spring of 2005. I ordered well in advance, but was dismayed to see that the date of publication was continuously pushed back; everytime I checked the date was moved. I didn't get my copy until the end of August/early September.

Flying, landing and laying.......2005-11-10

My credentials. I work on pterosaurs (among other things) at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

I'm a pal of Dave Unwin (he looks like Bill Clinton). I have worked with him on ocassions on problems of pterosaur anatomy. He borrowed my house to write part of this book and I was one of several so-called 'experts' invited to read the book as he wrote it. I read every single word two or three times and even read one chapter while flying over his mum's house in Uttoxeter. I chuckled at some of the jokes, and deleted a few in case they trivialised his case. A wry sense of humour and a vivid imagination are a part of the charm of this book. Anyway, just in case you think I am biased by association, I can assure you that this brief review is heartfelt and honest.

This book is an excellent, entertaining and highly informative account of the biology of a group of animals that are (were), without doubt among the most fascinating creatures to have walked and flew the planet. Unwin's style is relaxed and makes reading a pleasure. Pretty well every aspect of pterosaur biology and evolutionary history is touched on. He makes good clear arguments for our deductions about these wonderful animal's behaviour, physiology and locomotion. Where the evidence is vague, or absent he says so.

One exciting aspect is the case Unwin makes for precocious flight in pterosaurs. Rare examples of fossil pterosaur eggs with embryos inside (if there were no embryos we wouldn't have recognised them as eggs) show that just bgefore hatching pterosaur babies had all of their skeleton fully formed and had wing bones with pretty well the same ratios as found in adults. Along with very rare examples of fossilised baby pterosaurs found in deposits formed miles away from land, this suggests that pterosaurs could fly soon after hatching. That might not be so remarkable, but when one consider that a baby pterosaur with a wing span comparable to a thrush then goes onto to achieve a wingspan greater than a Spitfire it seems to be quite remarkable.

I am recommending this book to anyone with an interest in natural history or flight.. it certainly is not just for dinophiles.

And if anyone reads the acknowledgments in this book, you might like to know that we no longer use flea spray, but instead drop that funny stuff on the back of the cats' necks now... it does the trick.

Norway.......2005-10-18

This book is great!! It gives an in depth vieu on these animal evolved and functioned, without getting the reader bogged down in dry technical descriptions. I recommend the book to any interested well read dinophile.

Ten Little Dinosaurs Picture Book (Wiggle Eyes)

Average customer rating:

Subliminal advertising
Great fun for little ones
Wonderful and educational childrens book
Complexity in a fun book
This book is hilarious...

Ten Little Dinosaurs Picture Book (Wiggle Eyes)
Pattie Schnetzler
Manufacturer: Accord, a division of Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0939251744

Book Description

A pair of crazy eyeballs built into this boldly illustrated hardbound book jiggle and wiggle from page to page and dinosaur to dinosaur.

Both fun and informative, children and parents will be repeating this story's catchy rhyme long after the first reading.

Reading Rainbow Book recipient Jim Harris provides his artistic excellence, humor, and stylistic integrity to this one-of-a-kind production.

A tremendously fun book for young dinosaur enthusiasts and an ideal counting book for younger ages as well.

Customer Reviews:

Subliminal advertising.......2007-09-03

While I like the story, I find it very disturbing that there is a picture of a coke bottle on almost every page and they get bigger as the story goes on. I like coke but that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Great fun for little ones.......2007-06-03

I have given several copies of this book away to friends with 1-4 year old kids. They love it and adore the pictures and colors and giggle at the goofy eyeballs. Each copy has been lovingly worn out!

Wonderful and educational childrens book.......2006-11-09

I bought this for my 3 year old godson and was thrilled 6months later to hear the it was the first book he had worn out. Not destroyed, but actually worn out from reading and sharing. In fact many of the children in his preschool class also ended up begging their parents for the book.

Complexity in a fun book.......2006-09-04

Reading this book to my four and 2 year old takes me back to biology school trying to pronounce all the dinasaurs names but once I just started focusing on the story and fudged my way past the tongue ties I enjoyed this book along with both my boys! It is one of my favorites to read them and one of there favorites to listen too, this does not always happen and I often read books that I wish I had not bought but never with this book, it is cute with a steady beat, and a bit of a lesson attached as it counts backwards from 10 to 0. The googly eyes and illustrations are also an added attraction for my boys.

This book is hilarious..........2006-08-15

I love the detail and thought that went into all the pictures. The story rhymes very well. As for the name "nut brain" is really referring to some dinosaurs having brains that were the size of walnuts. I noticed a lot of soda bottles (no brands), was just trying to picture the dinosaurs as the children they see out and about. What your child eats and drinks really is a model of what you eat/drink or that you are a sucker and make like different meals for everybody at your table or tv for that matter, haha. The only soda in my home is Henry Weinhardts root beer and its been there for a long, long time. Every adult who has seen this book I've given to my 6 month old daughter says this ones going to delight her for a long, long time.

Average customer rating:

Congratulations - Excellent
Best book on dinosaurs ever - till the next edition...
The Dinosauria
All It Is Cracked Up To Be And More!
A professional reference book

The Dinosauria

Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0520242092

Book Description

When the The Dinosauria was first published more than a decade ago, it was hailed as "the best scholarly reference work available on dinosaurs" and "an historically unparalleled compendium of information." This second, fully revised edition continues in the same vein as the first but encompasses the recent spectacular discoveries that have continued to revolutionize the field. A state-of-the-science view of current world research, the volume includes comprehensive coverage of dinosaur systematics, reproduction, and life history strategies, biogeography, taphonomy, paleoecology, thermoregulation, and extinction. Its internationally renowned authors--forty-four specialists on the various members of the Dinosauria--contribute definitive descriptions and illustrations of these magnificent Mesozoic beasts.
The first section of The Dinosauria begins with the origin of the great clade of these fascinating reptiles, followed by separate coverage of each major dinosaur taxon, including the Mesozoic radiation of birds. The second part of the volume navigates through broad areas of interest. Here we find comprehensive documentation of dinosaur distribution through time and space, discussion of the interface between geology and biology, and the paleoecological inferences that can be made through this link. This new edition will be the benchmark reference for everyone who needs authoritative information on dinosaurs.

Customer Reviews:

Congratulations - Excellent.......2007-02-08

Thanks for your product - it's too much good!
It's satisfy my better expectatives...

Have a good day...

Best book on dinosaurs ever - till the next edition..........2006-01-09

This is a technical book on dinosaurs, covering their systematics, anatomy, diversity, ecology, distribution, physiology, and many other topics, written by leading experts in the field of dinosaur research. It has been completely updated and largely rewritten from the first edition, and the editors did a great job in keeping a common structure especially to the first chapters despite the high number of authors involved.
In the first part of this book, each group of dinosaurs is introduced, with a detailed description of the anatomy, systematics, and ecology of the animals included. The second section starts with an extremely helpful overview of dinosaur localities known from around the globe and then illuminates topics such as dinosaur biogeography, physiology, and extinction. The book is complemented with an extensive list of technical references of dinosaurs, which will be invaluable for any student of these amazing creatures.
Though not necessarily aimed at the general reader, it is certainly a must have for anybody interested in natural history, dinosaurs, or palaeontology in general. This is, arguably, the best, but certainly the most informative book on dinosaurs yet published!

The Dinosauria.......2004-10-13

"The Dinosauria" edited by David B. Weihampel, Peter Dodson, and Halszka Osmolska is for the serious dinophile and for those with some science and paleontology backgrounds. This book should NOT be tackled by the casual reader as it can be very serious when reading this volume on comparitive anatomy of dinosaur bones.

I found "The Dinosauria" to be very well-written and very informative and it gives the reader a clue to the nature of dinosaurs through their bone structure. The first section covers a broad area of interest, mainly the evolutionary relationships of dinosaurs within the wider context of archosaurian descent. The behaviorial attributes are next and what did they possess. Also, how does one analyze them from the paleontological and modern biological perspectives? In this first section, the question is posed, as to how the dinosaurs became extinct as a group.

In the second section each group of animals receives a detailed treatment, beginning with its anatomy. This is a comprehesive review of the taxonomy and systematic relationships at the level of genus and species. Here the dicussion focuses on the aspects of the fossil record, preservation, paleogeography, paleoecology, and life habits of that particular group.

I found "The Dinosauria" to be a solid five star book that is as close to being current as can be expected. Written by experts in their respected fields this book is well-edited and progresses in a very logical manor. "The Dinosauria" is a benchmark reference book. For those interested in vertebrate paleontology, students, serious amateurs, and those in need of serious authoritive information this is the book for you. "The Dinosauria" is NOT a childrens book nor is it intended to be.

"The Dinosauria" belongs on the bookshelves of all serious dinophiles and of those wanting a near complete reference book. The bibiography, alone, contains more than 2,500 enteries and is well appointed with references making your search for authoritive information an easier task.

All It Is Cracked Up To Be And More!.......2001-04-15

What more can I say for this book than has already been said? The first book of it's kind (that I know of), The Dinosauria is the perfect introduction into SERIOUS paleontology. If you want to know more about dinosaurs than you learn from Jurassic Park, this is the place to start. Be warned though, a basic knowledge of the science of paleontology is needed as the book does go deeper into the realm of true science than in other popular books. The Dinosauria layed the foundation for works that would follow, and again this is the perfect introduction for someone who wants to get more serious about the real science of the Dinosauria.

A professional reference book.......1998-08-10

This work was a bit tedious, as any book of this magnitude can be, especially to someone without a PHD, like me. If, however you are aspiring for that PHD, or are a very serious amateur paleontologist, this book is great. It is the most in-depth book I have ever found on the subject. Most books are significantly watered down, as their intended audience is often teenage or younger. This book supplies enormous quantities of information in a fairly usable format. I just wished that there had been more illustrations, perhaps some pictures of different excavation sites and more actual fossil examples, instead of mere drawings. Perhaps this was done for cost effectiveness, as this book is very expensive for someone on a budget. The bone anatomy is very well shown though, and can be studied with the help of this book. I would recommend it for anyone who is serious about paleontology, but please, if you are not, check out another book, as this one may be a dissapointment with a! big price tag.

The Dinosaur Among Us: The World Bank and Its Path to Extinction

Average customer rating:

Author seeking meteorite
A+ for Observation, D for solutions
Excellent ! MDBs must reinvent themselves fast or go extinct
A perceptive and timely insider look at the World Bank

The Dinosaur Among Us: The World Bank and Its Path to Extinction
Jeffrey C. Hooke
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Policy & Current Events | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Development & Growth | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1419659170
Release Date: 2007-03-01

Product Description

The Dinosaur Among Us is a fast-moving expose of the World Bank, the preeminent poverty fighting institution and a veritable United Nations of finance. Founded in a spirit of post World War II optimism, the Bank squanders its opportunities, and the book examines the actors in this tragic comedy: the wealthy nations, the poor borrowers, the Board of Directors and the staff. As poverty's two stepchildren-- terrorism and failed states-- cause increased headaches for the West, advancing the Third world is vitally important. Yet, as the author points out, the Bank fails to adapt to modern conditions and sows the seeds of its own demise, demonstrating the need for a radical makeover.

Customer Reviews:

Author seeking meteorite.......2007-09-28

Criticizing the World Bank is easy. You can get all the information you want from its own website, you speak with a few staffers (with some 12000 you always find the discontent ones) you add a few common clichés about the World Bank (lords of poverty etc) and you may find an entry ticket into the American Enterprise Institute (if you come from the right, or join a single issue NGO if you have a left perspective). There you can join celebrities of the sort of Wolfowitz who not only deny reality, but dream they can create it themselves. (Somebody has to tell them that doing this in the real world and not in Hollywood may lead to less than happy endings).

The author has left the World Bank six years ago and claims therefore to be the best to write about the topic. He clearly is not. He has no idea of what is currently going on in there.

Let's take a look at his critique on how the World Bank measures the impact of its projects. The author states that the Independent Evaluation Group (which reports to the World Bank's Board and not the President of the Bank) is not really independent. At the same time he complains that it does not have enough funding to do its job. What does he want? More funding for a dependent evaluator? What the author conveniently omits to say, is that the Independent Evaluation Group is only an evaluation at the end of a chain of assessments of results and impacts of World Bank supported projects. All projects that the World Bank supports have substantial budgets (between 2% and 10% of a loan) to measure impact; academia, experts and civil society are involved in the evaluation of projects.

Instead, he suggests the World Bank should be having external evaluations. This is a fine call, as it sounds so politically correct. But all you would get is more partisan evaluation. Unfortunately, the truth does not lie in the middle between partisan evaluations from opposite camps. One could argue that project and World Bank paid evaluation is not independent enough. But who would pay for external evaluations? The owners of the World Bank - Public Money. How independent would that be, if commissioned by governments? Clearly, he did not really understand the issue, and could not come up with any sensible proposal either.

The author also calls for reform. That is not really ingenious, all institutions can get better, and certainly the World Bank. What does he suggest? A hedge fund manager should come in and show the institution how to do real business! Well, I guess, the author could not have seen the crisis coming. But as an investment consultant he might have known.And as an investment consultant he certainly knows that hedge funds are about the riskiest financial operation around.

What kind of books would have to be written about the World Bank if it were operating like a hedge fund managed by the cowboys of the financial markets? These cowboys are now causing financial damages to the world to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, dwarfing the amounts the World Bank is lending (around 20 billion a year).

In a nutshell: Poorly researched, polemically concocted, illogical and foolish conclusions. Spend your money on The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good instead (if I may suggest).

(Just to make it clear, nothing is wrong with reforming an institution like the World Bank, but, to stay with the analogy the author has chosen, the institution deserves a Darwinian mind to analyze it, not that of a creationist one!)

A+ for Observation, D for solutions.......2007-06-08

Mr. Hooke does indeed not miss much, his review is entertaining, a bit over the top here and there but generally covers the reality fairly well. However, at the end of the book his suggestions for reform succumb to the same fate as the projects of his former colleagues: Lack of analytical rigour.

His regurgitation of old hobby horses proposed by Wall Street bankers a decade ago raise suspicion that the intent of the book is not really about constructive criticism with some realistic proposals for reform. Mr. Hooke proposes reforms that ignore the political realities of hundreds of governments co-owning this behemoth and can not be serious.

I had expected something a little more thoughtful and underpinned at the end. Nevertheless, this book is a must read for anyone trying to understand the inner workings of this institution.

Excellent ! MDBs must reinvent themselves fast or go extinct.......2007-05-31

A very interesting reading highly recommended for scholars, practioners, politicians and those who really care about promoting development in the Third World. Too much information and a throughout diagnostic of this Dinosaur's disease in just 106 pages! A+. The book's analyses and recommendations not only apply to the World Bank Group, but also to the IADB (just five blocks away) and other sister MDBs used to copy everything the IBRD does. Therefore, Mr. Hooke work is a must read for that 1/3 of the MDBs' staff that does 2/3 of the work, and those who belief there is still a chance for these organizations to really promote development effectively.

Mr. Hooke, as a former world banker, describes in detail a brief history and evolution of the World Bank, the internal contradictions, how the fiefdoms survival come first and development goals are in second place, how the Board of Directors has become a burden, the culture of writing perfect reports to please the high priesthood and to offend no one, and other nonsense in which some of the most educated and many brilliant professionals of the world are waisting their time to keep their jobs and privileges. Certainly the organizational culture needs an overhaul or the dinosaur will die very soon.

Hopefully, Mr. Hooke presents us with the problem and proposes some ideas for reform, as shutdown is not seem as a feasible option. Although some of them are outrageous and seriously politically incorrect (specially the two policy directives regarding substitution of local currencies in the small recipient countries for the dollar or some other hard currency; and agricultural reform across the board), some of them seem promising, such as: reducing the list of borrowers countries for those that really need help; narrowing the project focus to a few sectors; overhauling the governance system, changing the staff profiles; shrinking the bureacracy; etc.

Let's hope the new World Bank President is well chosen, reads this book and leads the change, as other MDBs will close ranks and certainty follow, even if it takes some time. And also let's hope that half of the Washington Area private schools will not go out of business, nor the airlines flying out of DC.

A perceptive and timely insider look at the World Bank.......2007-04-14

Any readers who want the real lowdown on the World Bank and its decline over the last decades will find this book informative, succinct, and very well-written. Mr. Hooke doesn't miss much.

Average customer rating:

Uncovering T-Rex
Perfect books for inquisitive kids!

Uncover a T-Rex: An Uncover It Book
Dennis Schatz
Manufacturer: Silver Dolphin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Misc. Supplies

General | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Zoology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1571457909

Product Description

Uncover the secrets of a T-Rex layer by layer with this clever 3-D book by combining the elements of a traditional 16 page book with a unique 3-D layered full color illustrated model. Ages: 8 + Manufacturer: Marlon Creations

Customer Reviews:

Uncovering T-Rex .......2006-11-22

Great book. I purchased two (2) of them, but had a BAD time with your site. It kept changing my order number from 2 to one. In the end you sent me four copies. I returned the extras and you did give me credit for the cost of the books but not return my $20.22 shipping cost. Please help. E. M. Michael?.

Perfect books for inquisitive kids!.......2004-09-26

I purchased this book for my 10 year old nephew, and he loves it! It is a fascinating overlay approach to displaying the anatomy of creatures that have fascinated children for generations. Frankly, all of the adults in our family love the book, too!

Great gift, and great teaching tool!

BIG BIRD! - MODERN SIGHTINGS OF FLYING MONSTERS

Average customer rating:

Good, but could have been better...
Close to the edge
A fascinating read!
More than meets the eye
Monstrously Entertaining!

BIG BIRD! - MODERN SIGHTINGS OF FLYING MONSTERS
Ken, Gerhard
Manufacturer: cfz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Supernatural | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1905723083

Book Description

A LEGEND ON LEATHER WINGS! The Indians called it the Thunderbird, a winged monster so vast that the beating of its mighty pinions sounded like thunder. But this ancient beast is not to be held in the cage of mythology. Today, from all over the dusty U.S. / Mexican border come hair-raising stories of modern day encounters with winged monsters of immense size and terrifying appearance. Further field sightings of similar creatures are recorded from all around the globe. The Kongamato of Africa, the Ropen of New Guinea and many others. What lies behind these weird tales? Ken Gerhard is in pole position to find out. A native Texan, he lives in the homeland of the monster some call 'Big Bird'. Cryptozoologist, author, adventurer, and gothic musician Ken is a larger than life character as amazing as the Big Bird itself. Ken's scholarly work is the first of its kind. The research and fieldwork involved are indeed impressive. On the track of the monster, Ken uncovers cases of animal mutilations, attacks on humans and mounting evidence of a stunning zoological discovery ignored by mainstream science. Something incredible awaits us on the broad desert horizon. Keep watching the skies!

Customer Reviews:

Good, but could have been better..........2007-06-12

I just bought this book about two weeks ago and since it's a light read I finished it in about three days.
It was a pretty informative book as these things go. Being mostly focused on the title creature "Big Bird" of Texas fame it didn't leave much room for the other mystery flying creatures of the world.
Though the author made an effort to include some of these other mystery flyers, it almost came as an afterthought.
Being from the area the author would obviously focus on his own backyard and I don't blame him, but more thought could have been put in the section on creatures from the other areas both in this country and in other countries.
Plus the fact that he included the "Mothman" in his living Pterosaurs theory, which is just insulting. Mothman has never been identified as a Pterosaur by any of the witnesses and this "fact" just seems to be pulled out from thin air, so to speak.
The Book also has many spelling and punctuation errors that could have been found had they had a decent editor.
In all, if you're from Texas or plan to travel there to do research, it's a great book on local folklore, but if you're from anywhere else in the world it really has no impact on the Cryptozoological hunt for the mystery flying creatures of the rest of the world.

Close to the edge.......2007-05-15

I enjoyed the book, I thought it was entertaining and informative on a subject considered taboo in most scientific circles, however it did not take me "to the edge" or the fringe if you will. The author mostly stayed clear of the most controversial aspects of flying humanoids, and mentioned some cases only in passing ie" flying human November 1975 Rio Grande area, and gave no details. He did not take the proverbial leap of faith and considedered the whole spectrum of the phenomena, the paranormal side, UFOs, etc. He kept it safe.

A fascinating read!.......2007-05-13

I was thoroughly intrigued by the author's account of sightings and other evidence of the existence of these fascinating creatures. A highly enjoyable reading experience!

More than meets the eye.......2007-03-18

I was disappointed when I took this book out of the Amazon.com mailer and saw how thin it was, but when I started reading it I realized it was PACKED with interesting research and personally investigated accounts - NOT just a bunch of speculation as is too often the case with this type of book. Anyone interested in Forteana will enjoy this book and I am adding the author to my list of writers whose books I will look out for in the future.

Monstrously Entertaining!.......2007-03-17

I first met Ken Gerhard a few years ago at Chester Moore's Crypto Conference in Texas; and since then our paths have crossed on various occasions - at gigs and out in the monster-hunting field, too.

I was pleased to find on first speaking with Ken that (like me and the good folk at the Center for Fortean Zoology who have published his book, and whose US Ofiice I coordinate) he is one who likes to get out there and into the thick of the action; rather than simply relying on the Internet for his data.

And I'm pleased to say that Big Bird! does not disappoint. For anyone with an interest in monstrous winged-things, Ken's book is essential and informative reading. And the fact that it's written by someone with a sincere passion for his subject matter makes it all the better.

So, if you are fascinated by the weird wonders that soar the skies of the United States and you want to know more about them, where they are from, and what they may be, I urge you to get hold of a copy of Ken's book - NOW!

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