by Steve Brusatte (Author) 

A sweeping and groundbreaking history of the age of dinosaurs, from one of our finest young scientists

The dinosaurs. 66 million years ago, the Earth’s most fearsome and spectacular creatures vanished. Today their extraordinary true story remains one of our planet’s great mysteries.

In this stunning narrative spanning more than 200 million years, Steve Brusatte, a young American paleontologist who has emerged as one of the foremost stars of the field—discovering ten new species and leading groundbreaking scientific studies and fieldwork—masterfully tells the complete, surprising, and new history of the dinosaurs, drawing on cutting-edge science to dramatically bring to life their lost world and illuminate their enigmatic origins, spectacular flourishing, astonishing diversity, cataclysmic extinction, and startling living legacy. Captivating and revelatory, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a book for the ages.

Brusatte traces the evolution of dinosaurs from their inauspicious start as small shadow dwellers—themselves the beneficiaries of a mass extinction caused by volcanic eruptions at the beginning of the Triassic period—into the dominant array of species every wide-eyed child memorizes today, T. rex, Triceratops, Brontosaurus, and more. This gifted scientist and writer re-creates the dinosaurs’ peak during the Jurassic and Cretaceous, when thousands of species thrived, and winged and feathered dinosaurs, the prehistoric ancestors of modern birds, emerged. The story continues to the end of the Cretaceous period, when a giant asteroid or comet struck the planet and nearly every dinosaur species (but not all) died out, in the most extraordinary extinction event in earth’s history, one full of lessons for today as we confront a “sixth extinction.”

Brusatte also recalls compelling stories from his globe-trotting expeditions during one of the most exciting eras in dinosaur research—which he calls “a new golden age of discovery”—and offers thrilling accounts of some of the remarkable findings he and his colleagues have made, including primitive human-sized tyrannosaurs; monstrous carnivores even larger than T. rex; and paradigm-shifting feathered raptors from China.

An electrifying scientific history that unearths the dinosaurs’ epic saga, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs will be a definitive and treasured account for decades to come.

Review

“A masterpiece of science writing.” (Washington Post)

“The ultimate dinosaur biography. ... Riveting.” (Scientific American)

“Vivid. … This is scientific storytelling at its most visceral, striding with the beasts through their Triassic dawn, Jurassic dominance and abrupt demise.” (Nature)

“Brusatte skillfully brings dead dino bones to life as he shares—no, gushes about—his personal journey as a young fossil hunter and the people he’s met along the way. … The beauty of this book lies in the details, too, and in the stories of the scientists who dig them up.” (New York Times Book Review)

“An absorbing historical saga. … [A] completely winning blend of technical expertise and storytelling ability. … Brusatte’s recounting of the millions of years of dinosaur dominance makes for very nerdy, very thrilling reading.” (Christian Science Monitor)

“A thrilling study. ... The best book on the subject since [the 1980s]. ... Brusatte writes with the authority of a man who ranks as one of the leading experts in his field.” (Sunday Times (London))

“Unrelentingly kind in tone and generous in description. ... Mak[es] for one big adventure.” (Paris Review (Staff Picks))

“This vivid book reanimates dinosaurs for a new generation. … A lovely book. … A fine piece of writing.” (The Times (London))

“Fascinating. ... Superbly illustrated with photos and art, this is popular-science writing at its best.” (Booklist (starred review))

“Captivating. ... First-rate science writing. ... Superb. ... Carefully crafted.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Should not be missed. Highly recommended.” (Library Journal (starred review)

Categories : Paleontology, Biological Science of Dinosaurs

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0727TN8H6

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; Illustrated edition (April 24, 2018)

Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 24, 2018

Language ‏ : ‎ English

File‏ : ‎ EPUB, 15.38 MB

Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported

Print length ‏ : ‎ 401 pages