“The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” – The Story of the Dinosauria

At Everything Dinosaur, we get sent quite a lot of books from publishers for our team members to review and comment upon.  There is certainly a wealth of publications dedicated to the science of palaeontology and the Dinosauria in particular.  Every once in a while, we discover a real gem, one that has been well-written and manages to tread that careful line between providing enough academic detail but still managing to retain an appeal to the general reader.  The forthcoming “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” by Steve Brusatte is a case in point.

“The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” by Dr Steve Brusatte

Going on Sale in Early May “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs”

“The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” by Steve Brusatte.

Picture credit: Pan Macmillan

Dr Brusatte has skilfully crafted the story of the evolution of the dinosaurs and their ultimate demise, interweaving his own reminiscences about his early career as a palaeontologist and introducing a diverse cast of characters that have illuminated dinosaur research and done much to change our perception of the “terrible lizards”.

Around One Hundred Academic Papers

Now in his early thirties, Steve has managed to cram a lot into the last decade or so.  The Everything Dinosaur blog has written numerous articles featuring his research and discoveries, several of which are discussed at length in this, what is likely to be a bestseller, when “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” goes on sale on May 3rd (2018).

As an author of somewhere around one hundred academic papers and having undertaken fieldwork in places as far afield as China, New Mexico, Portugal and Poland, Dr Brusatte is ideally placed to provide an overview of the latest research into the Dinosauria.  In this informative and immensely enjoyable book, Stephen Brusatte chronicles the evolution of the first dinosaurs and plots their gradual rise to dominance over other Archosaurian contemporaries.  He charts their progress through the End Triassic extinction event and their emergence as the dominant terrestrial mega fauna on our planet.

Fieldwork in New Mexico, Mapping Late Cretaceous/Early Palaeocene Mammalian Fauna

Stephen Brusatte (back) with Ross Secord (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) during field work in New Mexico looking for mammal fossils.

Picture credit: Thomas Williamson/Reuters

Tyrannosaurus rex and Feathers in the Spotlight

As well as documenting the rise and eventual demise of the Dinosauria, Steve dedicates a couple of chapters to the tyrannosaurids, providing a useful update on his research into the family tree of the Tyrannosauridae as well as introducing recent additions to this great dinosaur dynasty, the long-snouted Qianzhousaurus sinensis, affectionately nick-named “Pinocchio rex” and Timurlengia euotica which roamed Uzbekistan some 90 million years ago.  Dr Brusatte has played a prominent role in the scientific study of these two large theropods, so far, this American palaeontologist now based at the University of Edinburgh, has named ten new dinosaur species.

For models and replicas of tyrannosauroids and other theropod dinosaurs: Age of Dinosaurs Models and Figures (PNSO).

Timurlengia euotica – A Recently Described (2016) Late Cretaceous Tyrannosaur

The tyrannosaurid Timurlengia wandering its flood plain home.

Picture credit: Todd Marshall

Recommended Reading

With March 1st being World Book Day, an annual event celebrating authors, illustrators and the joy of reading, it seems appropriate to dedicate today’s blog post to promote “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs”, written by one of the leading palaeontologists of the 21st century.  Highly recommended.

Book Details

Title: “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs”

Author: Steve Brusatte

ISBN: 9781509830060 (Hardback)

Pages: circa 390

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Release date: May 3rd 2018 (RRP = £20.00)

To order a copy, just visit the link and search for author “Steve Brusatte”: Find “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” Here.

Also available as an audio download.