Book Review – “Dinosaurs of the British Isles” by Dean Lomax and Nobumichi Tamura

Barely a week seems to go by without the announcement of some new dinosaur discovery.  We seem to have become accustomed to media reports highlighting some exciting aspect of the Dinosauria, often from faraway places and remote parts of the world.  Whilst it is always intriguing to hear reports of fossil finds relating to prehistoric animals that once lived in the Arctic Circle or indeed, to see pictures of the newest type of feathered dinosaur identified from north-eastern China, it is worth remembering that dinosaurs, lots of them for that matter, once roamed the British Isles.

Dinosaurs of the British Isles

Whilst it is highly unlikely that the first dinosaurs evolved in the area of land we now term the United Kingdom (evidence suggests that the very first dinosaurs evolved in the Southern Hemisphere), the formal scientific study of the fossilised remains of these ancient reptiles was begun in England and the contribution of British scientists to the nascent sciences of geology and palaeontology was immense.   This beautifully illustrated, new publication, sets out to catalogue the dinosaurs of Britain.

Authors Dean Lomax and Nobumichi Tamura provide a comprehensive account of the dinosaurs of the British Isles.  So, if you want to read about meat-eating dinosaurs from Swindon, stegosaurs from Peterborough and tyrannosaurs from the Isle of Wight then this book is for you.

Dinosaurs of the British Isles (Front Cover)

A comprehensive guide to British dinosaurs over 400 pages.

Picture credit: Siri Scientific Press

For further details and to purchase: Siri Scientific Press.

This book has been painstakingly researched and prepared.  It has taken something like three years to write and it has been produced with a diverse audience in mind.  Academics and researchers will no doubt find this book an excellent reference.  The general reader with an interest in fossils and history will appreciate the clearly labelled diagrams and concise writing style.  The skilfully created prehistoric scenes by Nobumichi Tamura and James McKay will help to inspire young dinosaur fans eager to learn more about palaeontology.

Vivid Reconstructions Bring British Dinosaurs Back to Life

Many small, meat-eating dinosaurs once roamed the British Isles.

Picture credit: Nobumichi Tamura

Many hundreds of fossil photographs are included, the accompanying notes and labels help to explain the importance of individual specimens and one of the joys of this book, is that it features a large number of fossils that are not on display to the general public.

Author Dean Lomax Preparing to Photograph a Sauropod

Rarely viewed British dinosaur fossils are photographed.

Picture credit: Dean Lomax

A lot of the fossils featured in this book are usually hidden away from view as part of museum collections.  In the picture above, author Dean Lomax can be seen photographing the skeleton of the British sauropod dinosaur, Cetiosauriscus stewarti at the Natural History Museum, London.

Following a brief foreword from Dr Paul Barrett and the authors, “Dinosaurs of the British Isles” defines the Dinosauria Order, explains how dinosaurs are classified and summarises the history of research before moving on to discuss how fossils are formed.  Having placed British dinosaurs into context, the rest of the book is dedicated to a chronological cataloguing of the dinosaur fossil finds, taking the reader through the Triassic, Jurassic and culminating in the Late Cretaceous.

Huge Plant-Eating Dinosaurs Once Roamed the British Isles

Helpful tables provide further information and alongside life restorations, scientifically accurate skeletal drawings have been included.

Picture credit: Nobumichi Tamura and Jamie A. Headden

The book extends to over 400 pages and provides a truly comprehensive account of those members of the Dinosauria whose fossils have been found in the British Isles.  There is even a section on “dinosaur hotspots” and a useful glossary to help explain some of the scientific terms encountered in this book.

Highly recommended.

This book is published by Siri Scientific Press and is available from the website below (worldwide shipping)

For further details and to purchase visit: Dinosaurs of the British Isles.