Digging into the Past: An Autobiography

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

One of the country's preeminent paleontologists, who was for many years curator and chairman of the department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History, here tells the story of his life. He describes his childhood, his schooling, the development of his career, his marriage, his fossil discoveries, his extensive travels and his friendships with famous (and often eccentric) personalities in the scientific world. Anecdotes about his mentor at the Museum of Natural History, the imperious Henry Fairfield Osborn, are particularly entertaining. The book contains a good deal of information about the field work and research involved in the science of paleontology, and accounts of life behind the scenes at the museum. But many of the particulars of Colbert's personal life will hold more interest for old friends than for the general public. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Mar.)