Rating: 
Summary: Time Traveler
Review: Time Traveler: In Search of Dinosaurs and Ancient Mammals from Montana to Mongolia writter by Michael Novacek is a book very much like an autobiography in nature. But, the nature we're talking about here is past history... that of dinosaurs and early mammals... those of the fossil record.The author has a very easy going writting style that grips you and you are engaged till the end. This story is very much like a travel log of a dedicated paleontologist discovering fossils where ever he seems to travel. The author started early out in life looking for fossils in Los Angeles, not too far from the La Brea Tar Pits, when just a child. But the dinosaur fever never left his veins as he is now a world-renowned paleontologist and has found fossils on every continent. This book is a study in the Natural History of fossil hunting, having illustrations where needed gives the reader a sense of perspective as to what the author is talking about. In fact the illustrations pop-up right when you need them, reinforcing the reader. Some of the most current and exciting issues in paleontology today are dinosaur and mammal evolution, continent drift, and mass extinctions. This book helps in the clarification of these questions making the reader understand the ancient enviornments and the geological times scale. From the past to our future this book ties the two together. Making the reader understand the past and how it can be applied to the future so we do not make the same mistakes, that is a global ecosystem. This book is a fast and easy read as the narrative flows freely keeping your interest. If you like adventure, with some travel to different locations throughout the world, this is your book. From California, to Baja Mexico, high up in the Andes Mountains in Chile, to the volcanic mountains of Yemem, to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia you are taken on a travel log of a very special nature... one of a fossil hunting paleontologist.
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