Sue and I were delighted to receive a unique and thoughtful gift from the talented illustrator Cordula Marks Venters. Cordula is an Edinburgh-based artist with a passion for prehistoric animals. Her work blends the worlds of science, history, and myth. Drawing inspiration from dinosaurs, medieval events, historical figures, and ancient legends, her art is original and imaginative.

The gift was a copy of her book “Illuminated Beasts and Other Oddities”.  It showcases her clever illustrations.  Many of them feature prehistoric animals.  Cordula is a customer of Everything Dinosaur.  She recently purchased a CollectA Gallimimus model and nicknamed her theropod “Gustav”.

The front cover of “Illuminated Beasts and Other Oddities” Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Cordula Marks Venters and the 100 Days Project Scotland

The book was inspired by last year’s 100 Days Project Scotland.  The challenge is to undertake a creative task each day and record it.

The artist commented:

“I was inspired by medieval bestiaries and decided to create my own, featuring a mashup of historical, mythological and prehistorical creatures/events over the course of 100 days”.

Over the course of a hundred days, Cordula created her own bestiary. It features a brilliant mix of mythological creatures, prehistoric animals, science fiction and historical events. Each drawing reveals her love of art and her enduring creative spirit.

Dinosaurs often feature in her artwork.  Her playful, yet informed, interpretations of prehistoric creatures are outstanding.  For example, there is much to admire in Cordula’s red-clawed, fishing baryonychid.

Gone fishing with an old friend – an Early Cretaceous baryonychid theropod dinosaur. Picture credit: Cordula Marks Venters

Picture credit: Cordula Marks Venters

Lots of Different Prehistoric Animals

The colourful illustrations feature a diverse range of prehistoric animals.  Even a large dicynodont gets a look in.  We suspect this is the first time that this synapsid has been illustrated alongside a group of gnomes.

We want to say a huge thank you to Cordula Marks Venters. Your generosity, creativity, and support mean so much to us here at Everything Dinosaur.

After a hard day’s work gnomes head for home aided by a dicynodont. Picture credit: Cordula Marks Venters

Picture credit: Cordula Marks Venters

We can’t wait to see what you create next.

To discover more of Cordula’s work, be sure to visit her website: The Artwork of Cordula Marks Venters.

About the Author

Mike is part of the team at Everything Dinosaur. With a background in teaching and science communication. He has shared his fascination with prehistoric animals, fossils, palaeontology and dinosaurs on this blog since 2005. He and Sue are prehistoric animal model collectors too.

Visit: Everything Dinosaur for dinosaur toys and prehistoric animal figures.

The last days on Earth of an iconic bird species is re-told in remarkable detail by Gísli Pálsson in his book documenting the decline of the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis). Entitled “The Last of Its Kind” anthropologist Gísli Pálsson tells the haunting story of the Great Auk’s extinction.  The Great Auk extinction provides a powerful reminder of our culpability and the impact Homo sapiens is having on the planet.

Once abundant in the North Atlantic, this flightless bird was extinct by the middle of the 19th century. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Pálsson reconstructs not just the bird’s fate, but the birth of a modern awareness of the natural world and our role in extinctions.

The front cover of the Princeton University Press release “The Last of its Kind” by Great Auk extinction explored in “The Last of Its Kind” by Gísli Pálsson. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Great Auk Extinction

The Great Auk extinction was perhaps the first extinction event to attract widespread public awareness of our impact on the natural world.  It remains one of the most tragic and well-documented examples of extinction.  A large, flightless bird that mainly bred on remote, inaccessible islands in the North Atlantic was wiped out by hunting and egg collecting.  The last remaining Great Auks were killed on the Icelandic island of Eldey on the 3rd of June 1844.

The book mixes science, history and cultural analysis. It vividly recounts how British ornithologists Alfred Newton and John Wolley set out for Iceland to collect specimens, only for them to discover that these magnificent birds were gone forever. Pálsson explores museum archives, personal journals, and ecological data to build a compelling narrative. A species lost that helped to awaken our sense of environmental responsibility.

This book is both timely and thought-provoking. It invites readers to reflect on today’s biodiversity crisis through the lens of a single vanished bird. Bird lovers and conservationists alike will find it essential reading.  It has been shortlisted for the prestigious Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize.

Book Details

Title: “The Last of its Kind – The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction”
Author: Gísli Pálsson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication Date: April 2024
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 291
ISBN: 9780691230986

List Price: £22.00 GBP/$27.95 USD

This remarkable book can be ordered at this website: Princeton University Press.

Mike Walley from Everything Dinosaur observed:

“The extinction of the Great Auk offers a stark reminder of humanity’s lasting impact on nature. Furthermore, Pálsson’s work challenges us to reflect, take responsibility, and act—before more species are lost forever.”

The award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Models of Prehistoric and Extinct Animals.

Fans of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals are eagerly awaiting the first episode of the “Walking with Dinosaurs” sequel. Episode one, telling the tale of an orphaned Triceratops is due to be shown this weekend.  This six-part television series has been made by the BBC Studios Science Unit and is co-produced by ZDF and France Télévisions. A companion book has been published to accompany this exciting television event.

The companion book to the long-awaited “Walking With Dinosaurs” sequel. This new six-part series is made by the BBC Studios Science Unit production for the BBC and PBS, co-produced with ZDF and France Télévisions. Picture credit: DK Penguin Random House.

Picture credit: DK Penguin Random House

Walking with Dinosaurs

This new series made some twenty-six years after the original “Walking with Dinosaurs” first aired takes the viewer on a journey through deep time.  Each episode focuses on an individual dinosaur, whose remains are currently being studied by palaeontologists. A lonely giant Lusotitan (brachiosaurid) roaming the Late Jurassic of Portugal, a Tyrannosaurus rex in North America, the perils faced by an African Spinosaurus raising its young and in the first episode a young Triceratops takes centre stage.

The companion book goes beyond the television series.  It highlights the rich backstories of each dinosaur.  In addition, it explains the extraordinary work undertaken by palaeontologists in their quest to learn more about these amazing prehistoric animals.

Co-author Andrew Cohen (Head of the BBC Studios Science Unit), explained:

“This book will take readers behind the scenes of the series and back 100 million years to meet and understand these dinosaurs in ways never possible before.”

Mark Searle, Managing Director, DK+ added:

“Walking With Dinosaurs set a new ceiling for factual and documentary TV making back in 1999, and its influence on our continued fascination with dinosaurs cannot be underestimated. It’s a huge honour for DK to be working with the BBC Studios Science Unit on this fascinating book and we know dinosaur fans old and new will be amazed by the sheer level of insight Andrew, Helen, Kirsty and their teams have brought to the text.”

This exciting companion book, “Walking With Dinosaurs: Uncovering the Secret Stories of Prehistoric Life” will be released on the 5th of June 2025.

Book Details

Title: “Walking With Dinosaurs: Uncovering the Secret Stories of Prehistoric Life”
Authors: Andrew Cohen, Helen Thomas and Kirsty Wilson
Publisher: DK
Publication Date: June 5th, 2025
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 256
ISBN: 9780241761533

List Price: £25.00

This remarkable book can be pre-ordered here: “Walking with Dinosaurs” Companion Book.

Talented author and illustrator Dr Mark Witton has come up trumps again.  His recently published book “King Tyrant” is an excellent read. Dr Witton sets out to update the reader on the most famous of all the dinosaurs – Tyrannosaurus rex.  The book, entitled “King Tyrant a Natural History of Tyrannosaurus rex” is a detailed and beautifully crafted publication from an author at the very top of their game.

The fabulous front cover of the new book “King Tyrant A Natural History of Tyrannosaurus rex” by Dr Mark P. Witton. Dr Witton is an accomplished author and palaeoartist as well as a highly respected palaeontologist. Naturally, this stunning T. rex artwork on the front cover was created by the author. Picture credit: Princeton University Press.

Picture credit: Princeton University Press

“King Tyrant”

Published by Princeton University Press, this is a comprehensive review of the “Tyrant Lizard King”. Dr Mark Witton masterfully weaves his in-depth knowledge of Tyrannosaurus rex into the narrative.  He makes complex topics accessible and engaging for readers. The book features beautiful illustrations and stunning colour photographs of fossils that bring the prehistoric world of T. rex to life. Dr Witton’s passion for this subject shines through on every page.  It is an inspiring book, one that highlights the skills of an accomplished science communicator.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s earlier blog post about this fascinating book: A New Tyrannosaurus rex Book.

Book Details

Title: “King Tyrant A Natural History of Tyrannosaurus rex”

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: May 13th, 2025 | Price: £35.00/$39.95 | Pages: 320

Illustrations: 150+ colour illustrations

ISBN: 9780691245584

Size: 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 inches)

Visit the website of Princeton University Press to purchase: Princeton University Press.

Haolonggood Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur model (Chao Gai).

An Iconic Dinosaur

Dr Mark Witton documents the media presence of Tyrannosaurus rex compared to other dinosaurs. It has a much larger media profile.  This is reflected in dinosaur model sales. For example, Everything Dinosaur team members calculate that T. rex models outsell other dinosaur models by a ratio of six to one.  This has motivated manufacturers to continue to produce figures of this famous tyrannosaur. For instance, the new for 2025 Haolonggood T. rex figures (see image above).

To view the range of Haolonggood prehistoric animal models in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Haolonggood Prehistoric Animal Models and Figures.

Mike from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“This is a superb dinosaur book!  I congratulate Dr Mark Witton, and I look forward to catching up with him at the forthcoming Lyme Regis Fossil Festival.  I recommend this book to fans of dinosaurs.”

For prehistoric animal models and toys: Prehistoric Animal Models and Toys.

Exciting news for fans of dinosaurs, palaeontology and fossils.  A new book written by the extremely talented Dr Dean Lomax is due to be published later this year.  The book, entitled “The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs: Unearthing the Real Behaviors of Prehistoric Animals” will be available in September (2025).  Published by Columbia University Press, it will be available from all good booksellers, including Amazon, and it can be pre-ordered from the publisher’s website ninety days prior to the publication date.  However, we at Everything Dinosaur have been given access to the front cover image and a sneak preview.

The “Secret Lives of Dinosaurs” by Dr Dean Lomax and illustrated by Bob Nicholls. This exciting new book will be published in September (2025). Picture credit: Dr Dean Lomax.

Picture credit: Dr Dean Lomax/Bob Nicholls

“The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs”

This amazing new book is illustrated throughout by the world-renowned palaeoartist Bob Nicholls.  It tells the stories behind some incredible fossil discoveries that focus on direct evidence of behaviours.  How remarkable insights into the lives of prehistoric animals have been captured in deep geological time.  With Dr Lomax acting as your guide, the reader is provided with a forensic, behind-the-scenes examination of some astonishing fossils.  From ammonite eggs to the meals of mosasaurs and a pregnant ichthyosaur that ate a bird.  Each chapter sheds new light on the private lives and intimate moments of animals that once inhabited our planet.  Vivid, full-colour illustrations by Bob Nicholls bring these incredible stories and insights to life.

“The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs” builds upon the phenomenally successful and best-seller “Locked in Time”.  This was an earlier collaboration between Dr Lomax and Bob Nicholls (published 2021).  It told the stories of extinct animal’s behaviour perceived from fifty extraordinary fossils.  However, this new book offers an entirely different approach.

To read our review of “Locked in Time”: “Locked in Time” Reviewed.

The front cover of the book “Locked in Time – Animal Behaviour Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils” by Dean Lomax with illustrations by Bob Nicholls. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Mammals Feeding on Dinosaurs

Dr Lomax takes readers on a journey through the grand cycle of life.  The scientific explanations are given extra authority and relevance as Dr Lomax writes about his own escapades and adventures.  Of course, this highly enjoyable book is imbued with a dash of dinosaur humour too.

The prehistoric animal behaviours described in “The Secret Life of Dinosaurs” include evidence that dinosaurs were not always the predator.  Our mammalian ancestors more than held their own ground against the “terrible lizards”.  For example, one section of the book outlines how a mammal took down a dinosaur!

We were fascinated by the cover of the book! The two-headed animal is a type of aquatic reptile from the time of the dinosaurs. We asked Dr Lomax about the cover choice and he replied:

“I am thrilled that you love the cover! Believe me, Bob and I spent a lot of time working up many ideas with various animals – mostly dinosaurs – on the cover. In the end, we both agreed, as did the team at Columbia University Press, that this book is so different to anything else in the dinosaur/palaeo book world that the cover should represent that. So, we thought, why not go for one of the most extraordinarily rare fossils – a two-headed reptile. Sure, it’s not a dinosaur, but the book is not entirely dedicated to dinosaurs, hence the subtitle. We’re very proud of the cover and know that people will be blown away by some of the remarkable stories that are featured in this book.”

Dr Dean Lomax working on an ichthyosaur cast from the Natural History Museum (Berlin). This new book features marine reptiles too. Picture credit: Dr Dean Lomax/University of Manchester.

Picture credit: Dr Dean Lomax/University of Manchester

Book Details – “The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs”

Title: “The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs”
Author: Dr Dean Lomax
Illustrator: Bob Nicholls
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication Date: September 3rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 312
ISBN: 9780231211307

List Price: $38.95/£32.00

Also available as an E-book

Available from Columbia University Press: More Details/Order “The Secret Life of Dinosaurs”.

We have some exciting news!  A new dinosaur book by the extremely talented British palaeontologist and palaeoartist Dr Mark Witton is due to be published in May (2025).  Entitled “Tyrant King A Natural History of Tyrannosaurus rex“, this beautifully illustrated Tyrannosaurus rex book is available to pre-order from Princeton University Press.  Mark skilfully translates complex scientific concepts into an engaging narrative, helping to bridge the gap between academia and the general reader.

Mark is a highly respected palaeoartist. He has an extensive portfolio of prehistoric animal themed artwork. He created the striking front cover illustration.

The fabulous front cover of the new book “King Tyrant A Natural History of Tyrannosaurus rex” by Dr Mark P. Witton. Dr Witton is an accomplished author and palaeoartist as well as a highly respected palaeontologist. Naturally, this stunning T. rex artwork on the front cover was created by the author. Picture credit: Princeton University Press.

Picture credit: Princeton University Press

A New Tyrannosaurus rex Book – “King Tyrant”

T. rex is arguably the world’s favourite dinosaur.  At Everything Dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex models outsell all the other figures that we stock.  Virtually, every range we supply has at least one figure of this iconic Late Cretaceous theropod within it.  However, it is one of those dinosaurs so often depicted in the media, that sometimes the actual science gets overlooked.  Dr Witton sets out to distinguish the hyperbole surrounding this dinosaur from the actual fossil evidence.  The book presents these predators as palaeontologists consider them from the perspective of having interpreted the tyrannosaur fossil record.

With numerous original paintings, illustrations and diagrams by the author, this book focuses on the latest discoveries and provides a modern understanding of the Tyrannosaurus taxon.

The skull of a T. rex on display at Wollaton Hall (Nottinghamshire). This new dinosaur book discloses details about T. rex behaviour such as intraspecific combat and hunting strategies. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Dr Mark Witton has written several other books.  For example, in 2013 he wrote the highly acclaimed “Pterosaurs” which coincidently is also published by Princeton University Press.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s review of “Pterosaurs” by Dr Mark Witton: A Book Review “Pterosaurs” by Dr Mark Witton.

With over one hundred and fifty superb, photographs, illustrations and diagrams, this new Tyrannosaurus rex book is going to delight dinosaur fans.

Book Details

The book reviews the evidence for there being more than one species of Tyrannosaurus.  It examines whether they were solitary hunters or social animals.  How fast could T. rex run?  Was its bite as powerful as depicted in popular culture?   These are just some of the questions examined in the book’s seven chapters.  Some of the chapters have intriguing titles.  For example, chapter six entitled “Life, Food, Love, Death”.

“King Tyrant A Natural History of Tyrannosaurus rex”

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Publish Date: May 13th, 2025 | Price: £35.00/$39.95 | Pages: 320

Illustrations: 150+ colour illustrations

ISBN: 9780691245584

Size: 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 inches)

Visit the Princeton University Press website: Princeton University Press. To find the book search for “King Tyrant” or the author.

Mike from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“I am so excited about this.  I can’t wait to read this new book all about this most iconic of all the non-avian dinosaurs.  After all, who doesn’t love a T. rex!”

The Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Models and Prehistoric Animal Figures.