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The First Dinosaur: How Science Solved the Greatest Mystery on Earth by C.M. Butzer, Ian Lendler
annebennett1957's review against another edition
5.0
The First Dinosaur is a surprisingly excellent book. I say surprisingly because I had no idea what I didn't know about the discovery of dinosaurs. It brought to mind the old saying, "the student doesn't know enough to ask a question." As I read The First Dinosaur I realized that people had been seeing bone fragments and other fossils for thousands of years and had no idea what they were looking at and had no way to check further. Until the 1600s through the Scientific Age when men, usually gentlemen who had money and time to dabble and investigate, started to question the shape of some of the fragments, deciding that they looked like bones. One man's enthusiasm to know more led to another man's enthusiasm and so forth.
Back in the 1770s a remarkable bunch of men came together to dream up a new nation founded on democratic principles: Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, Adams, Jay, and Washington. The same thing happened in geology. When the student was ready the teacher appeared. This book highlights the lives of the remarkable men who uncovered the truth of age of the earth and found evidence in bone and fossils to identify the first dinosuars: Steno (1680s) who made pioneering advances in geology and paleontology; Robert Hooke (1700s); William "Strata" Smith (1800s) who identified fossils in particular levels of stratas; Georges Cuvier (France, 1800s) could read the strata and fossils records; Mary Anning (1800s) discovered and dug two of the first three dinosaur skeletons, as woman she did not get credit for her discoveries; Gideon Mantell (1850s) was a fossil collector who became known as one of the two most renown dinosaur experts of his day; Richard Owen (1850s) became the British Cuvier and one of the most renown dinosaur experts of his day; William Buckland (1850s) an Oxford professor who did much to advance Scientific advances in geology and paleonthology.
Many men came together in the Royal Society to advance their thoughts and to finally identify and name the first dinosaur: Megalosaurus from bone fragments near Oxford in rock quarry.
I found this book not only fascinating but fun to read. There was enough about the personalities involved in all the discoveries to keep me interested. I hope that young teen researchers find their way to this book and that they find it as compelling as I did.
Back in the 1770s a remarkable bunch of men came together to dream up a new nation founded on democratic principles: Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, Adams, Jay, and Washington. The same thing happened in geology. When the student was ready the teacher appeared. This book highlights the lives of the remarkable men who uncovered the truth of age of the earth and found evidence in bone and fossils to identify the first dinosuars: Steno (1680s) who made pioneering advances in geology and paleontology; Robert Hooke (1700s); William "Strata" Smith (1800s) who identified fossils in particular levels of stratas; Georges Cuvier (France, 1800s) could read the strata and fossils records; Mary Anning (1800s) discovered and dug two of the first three dinosaur skeletons, as woman she did not get credit for her discoveries; Gideon Mantell (1850s) was a fossil collector who became known as one of the two most renown dinosaur experts of his day; Richard Owen (1850s) became the British Cuvier and one of the most renown dinosaur experts of his day; William Buckland (1850s) an Oxford professor who did much to advance Scientific advances in geology and paleonthology.
Many men came together in the Royal Society to advance their thoughts and to finally identify and name the first dinosaur: Megalosaurus from bone fragments near Oxford in rock quarry.
I found this book not only fascinating but fun to read. There was enough about the personalities involved in all the discoveries to keep me interested. I hope that young teen researchers find their way to this book and that they find it as compelling as I did.
beecheralyson's review against another edition
4.0
There is a certain wow factor when you open up this book and flip through the pages. Older students who love dinosaurs will find this book fascinating.
bethmitcham's review
4.0
A history of fossils and the discovery, identification and naming of megalosaurus, with an emphasis on how the science worked, including the invention of science. I really like the description of the growth of the scientific method, and the emphasis on the challenge of knowing what questions to ask, especially when an entire topic is unknown. The text is engaging with great illustrations, taking time to show each historical figure as an individual.
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