The Dinosauria

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.

"Dinosaur biology has advanced at an astonishing pace during the last decade. This updated and expanded edition of The Dinosauria provides an invaluable resource for the specialist and a landmark for those deeply interested in the evolutionary history of these remarkable animals."—Luis M. Chiappe, author of Mesozoic Birds

Library Journal

Here, at last, is an authoritative, scholarly review of current dinosaur research. International experts wrote the individual chapters and, although the style is very technical, there is a lot here for interested amateurs. The first short section describes dinosaur biology, relationships, and distribution. It features, among other things, an interesting discussion of the recent dinosaur controversies (comet-related extinctions, warm-bloodedness, etc.) and a list (with maps) of worldwide dinosaur sites. The second section is a detailed dinosaur taxonomy that tends toward involved descriptions of bones, but it also has good information about the discovery and paleoecology of the different groups. The excellent bibliography, containing more than 2500 entries, will be especially useful for those who want more than just popular accounts of dinosaurs. Highly recommended for academic and large public libraries.-- Amy Brunvand, Fort Lewis Coll. Lib., Durango, Col.

David B. Weishampel is a Professor at the Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is coauthor, with D. E. Fastovsky, of The Evolution and Extinction of Dinosaurs (1996) and coauthor, with L. Young, of The Dinosaurs of the East Coast (1996). Peter Dodson is Professor of Anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. He is the author of Horned Dinosaurs: A Natural History. Halszka Osmólska is Professor of Paleontology at the Paleobiological
Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.