Rating: 
Summary: At last! First class paleo-mammal illustrations!
Review: In
the current dino-mania, fossil mammals are overshadowed. Too bad;
there are many curious and wonderful creatures in the mammalian
lineage. Yet, few well-illustrated popular books on the subject
exist. Bjorn Kurten's _Before the Indians_ had blurry charcoal
drawings. The late George Gaylord Simpson was an authority on
prehistoric South American mammals, but little more than a doodler
with a brush. And Colin Tudge's wonderful _The Time Before History_
had no pictures at all. So this book is most welcome. Mauricio
Anton is a gifted artist. Cats and catlike creatures such as
nimravids, homotheriums, saber-tooths, dirk-tooths, all seem to live
again in these color and b/w pictures. The only beastie which is
unconvincingly rendered is the poorly-known _Thylacoleo_, the
marsupial lion. Through the reproductions and discussions of these
and other animals, one gets a lesson in how different animals adopt
similar body plans, based on their ecological niche. Large top
predators are robust, while middle niche hunters are more
gracile. Thus, we are told, _Thylacoleo_, the largest nimravids, and
the largest saber-tooths resemble lions, while smaller predators
resemble cheetahs and leopards. All in all, a must for big cat- and
paleontology- lovers, the latter who may be getting tired of
dinosaurs!
Rating:
Summary: Informative, wonderfully illustrated, model study
Review: A wonderful study of the big cats and their numerous fossil relatives, and those fossils which look like cats but turn out to be cases of convergent evolution. A fine study, uniting paleontology with behavioral studies; nicely illustrated with a generous number of drawings and color paintings by Mauricio Anton. This book gives one renewed appreciation for the living large cats, and will send you off to the nearest museum to look up the fossil forms
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly scientific work of divulgation...
Review: Although based on the illustrations and the format of the book one might be inclined to think that it is a coffee-table book, the truth is that this is a thorough scientific abstract of the latest information about the fossil ancestors of today's big cats. The author's language is strongly reminiscent of a Paleontology journal rather than a divulgation book. Illustrations are first class. Definitely a great book, probably not so for the uninitiated.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Money!!
Review: Anyone interested in Big Cats or Prehistoric cats should have this book as a great reference. It also shows readers how the extinct and living cats are classified. Provides information on individual speicies and has tons of pictures (colored and pencil) that are beautifully illustrated. This is definitly worth the time and money....so hurry and buy it now!
Rating: 
Summary: hmmm..... don't know if I agrre with everything he says....
Review: but that does't make his book bad. He had some very interesting theories that helped my write my final paper on feline evolution. I would recomment it to students as well as professionals because the concepts are certainly well thought, but stated in an easy to read manner
Rating:
Summary: A Most Excellent Read
Review: I have long been interested about large cat (especially jaguars), and have often wondered about their evolution and early relatives. However, I had searched through every library in my county with no success. When I found this book, it was like a godsend. With superb illustrations and an excess of information, this has potential to be the definitive resource on prehistoric cats. Every big cat enthusiast should buy this book. This has become one of my second bibles.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece!
Review: I strongly recommend this book for any student of mammology or paleontology.The text is very informative and easy reading. The illustrations are so good and elaborate that I suggest art students working in pencil buy this volume. Unlike some books showing only static lateral views, the illustrator has shown these creatures going about their daily lives. Hunting methods are dealt with in great detail.
For book collectors looking for something different, this is it! For biology students and profs, what are you waiting for!??
Rating:
Summary: Evolution AND anatomy in one book!
Review: One of few books to discuss fossil mammals in relation to their modern-day counterparts, and the only one I've found that discusses functional anatomy. Easy to read for the beginner, with beautiful illustrations. I began knowing almost nothing about the large cats, and ended knowing not only about the family tree, but also the history of the evolution of morphology. I've now read it three times, and am planning on going through it again.
Rating:
Summary: Good reference work
Review: The Big Cats by Alan Turner is a very thorough discussion of the cat family, past and present. It also sports illustrator Mauricio Anton's splendid sketches and paintings of various members of the family. Those of extinct cats bring them to life in a way that the usual drawings of the skull and skeletal remains cannot. There is a thorough discussion of taxonomy in general and of classification of cats in particular. Unfortunately while the drawings are wonderful and the information dense, the book is not light reading. It might be useful to the professional paleontologist or zooarchaeologist looking for a good overview of cat remains or possibly appeal to the dedicated cat lover, but I can't imagine settling in by the fire on a quiet evening with the book. Its most appropriate place might be in a school library for reference use by students doing classroom projects on cats, paleontology, biology, ecology, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Good reference work
Review: The Big Cats by Alan Turner is a very thorough discussion of the cat family, past and present. It also sports illustrator Mauricio Anton's splendid sketches and paintings of various members of the family. Those of extinct cats bring them to life in a way that the usual drawings of the skull and skeletal remains cannot. There is a thorough discussion of taxonomy in general and of classification of cats in particular. Unfortunately while the drawings are wonderful and the information dense, the book is not light reading. It might be useful to the professional paleontologist or zooarchaeologist looking for a good overview of cat remains or possibly appeal to the dedicated cat lover, but I can't imagine settling in by the fire on a quiet evening with the book. Its most appropriate place might be in a school library for reference use by students doing classroom projects on cats, paleontology, biology, ecology, etc.
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