A Field Guide to Dinosaurs : The Essential Handbook for Travelers in the Mesozoic

Rating:
Summary: The best book on dinosaurs available.
Review: As a fan of Luis Rey - the greatest paleoartist today - I can't say this review is totally unbiased. However, this does happen to be the best book on dinosaurs I've ever seen - and I've seen quite a few, believe me.
A brief summary: authors Henry Gee and Luis V Rey begin with an introduction on dinos, the Mesozoic, and paleontology in general, as well as present a warning that this is a work of fiction. This is just as well, since the dinosaurs depicted in the rest of the book - the field guide - are startlingly realistic looking and are given many external features that usually do not fossilize. Some are genuine new discoveries, such as Psittacosaurus's porcupine quills; others are based on reasoning and educated guesses, as well as a good dash of imagination.
And that's where the book excels. One thing is for sure: dinosaurs looked nothing like out popular image of them. They had feathers, fleshy crests, elaborate nasal passages...all of which would have been unheard-of only a decade or two ago. This is bolstered by the fantastic dinos of the Yixian formation. Dinosaurs, as Gee comes back to at the end of the intro, were "far, far weirder", but this is probably as close to reality as you can get. These agile and colorful animals make the dinos in Jurassic Park and Walking with Dinosaurs look positively naked and monochrome. The selection of dinos is not exhaustive, but is exemplary, featuring such standbys as Triceratops, T-rex, Diplodocus, Stegosaurus and Deinonychus, as well as new dinosaurs such as Masiakasaurus from Madagascar and the spectacular 4-winged Microraptor. Many come as revelations to older generations used to Knight and Zallinger's tail-dragging drab dinosaurs.
The format, as a field guide, is the most original take yet on a very much alive subject. The descriptions on behavior are just educated guesses, as I said, and may appear a little exaggerated
at times, but the animals of today are just as weird, only we take them for granted. And after all, unlike every other dinosaur book, unlike Jurassic Park and Walking with Dinosaurs, this book warns its readers at the beginning.
All in all, this is indeed the newest, most exciting, most original, most indispensable book on dinosaurs in print. I strongly recommend it to anyone with an interest in these magnicent animals, be you 5-year old child or professional paleontologist.

Rating:
Summary: Buy it for the sketches.
Review: Colorful and imaginative artwork set within a well designed format make this book standout in a crowded category. I found Rey's smaller "field" sketches of dinosaur behavior more interesting than his polished color illustrations. Even with their inventiveness, the sketches seem more like the observations of a naturalist, and as such support the books' unique "Field Guide" concept. In my opinion, the color illustrations make too much use of extreme fish-eyed foreshortening which tends to push the subject matter into a pop-culture presentation. Small matter, because the entire book is well done, and should appeal to anyone who enjoys dinosaurs, illustration, or book design.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, an updated dinosaur book - REALLY!
Review: I own over a dozen books that are supposed to be "up-to date field guides to dinosaurs". But none of them can ever compare to this. Most other books like this are scientifically inaccurate by now. For example, they show velociraptors with scaly skin, like those seen in "Jurassic Park". BBC's "Walking With Dinosaurs" was supposed to be updated, but many dinosaurs looked horribly inaccurate. This book is written by an authoritative author and lavishly illustrated by, in my eyes, the most talented dinosaur artist alive today. It has everything that "Walking With Dinosaurs" didn't had. It is full of awe-inspiring illustrations of dinos in action. The dinosaurs look so frighteningly realistic you almost think you've been taken back to the age of reptiles. But these dinos don't look like reptiles. They occupied the same niches as elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, and wolves does today. Therefore, the authors have also carefully studied modern wildlife to make these interpretations of the prehistoric creatures. For example, the sail-backed meat-eater Spinosaurus could actually have looked more like a 40-foot pelican than the dragon seen in "Jurassic Park III". And Velociraptor probably looked like a sharp-toothed fish eagle with claws on its wings!The book provides amazing new looks on well-known dinosaur species like Stegosaurus, Diplodocus and T-rex, as well as some of the most recent and bizarre discoveries, such as the funny-looking Masiakasaurus, the smallest dinosaur Microraptor and the dawn tyrant lizard, Eotyrannus. The book begins with a short introduction to dinosaurs, and on page 30, the field guide begins. It is divided by period and continent. Each dinosaur is presented with several color and b/w sketches, a short description, size, and possible behaviour of the dinosaur. Of course, the behaviour is just based on guesses, but it's an interesting read. The images makes this book more than a field guide - it's a true art book. It makes you want to start drawing dinosaurs yourself, or write stories from the mesozoic. I'm currently planning an upcoming dinosaur comic book, and a lot will be based on the look and behaviour of the dinosaurs presented in this book.
Over all, this is by far the best general dinosaur book I've ever read. Packed with facts, and lavishly illustrated, this book is a must have for anyone who's interested in dinosaurs. For the laymen, it is a fantastic journey into a lost world. And all paleontologists, buy it for the artwork!I promise you, it's worth it!

Rating:
Summary: Finally, an updated dinosaur book - REALLY!
Review: I own over a dozen books that are supposed to be "up-to date field guides to dinosaurs". But none of them can ever compare to this. Most other books like this are scientifically inaccurate by now. For example, they show velociraptors with scaly skin, like those seen in "Jurassic Park". BBC's "Walking With Dinosaurs" was supposed to be updated, but many dinosaurs looked horribly inaccurate. This book is written by an authoritative author and lavishly illustrated by, in my eyes, the most talented dinosaur artist alive today. It has everything that "Walking With Dinosaurs" didn't had. It is full of awe-inspiring illustrations of dinos in action. The dinosaurs look so frighteningly realistic you almost think you've been taken back to the age of reptiles. But these dinos don't look like reptiles. They occupied the same niches as elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, and wolves does today. Therefore, the authors have also carefully studied modern wildlife to make these interpretations of the prehistoric creatures. For example, the sail-backed meat-eater Spinosaurus could actually have looked more like a 40-foot pelican than the dragon seen in "Jurassic Park III". And Velociraptor probably looked like a sharp-toothed fish eagle with claws on its wings!The book provides amazing new looks on well-known dinosaur species like Stegosaurus, Diplodocus and T-rex, as well as some of the most recent and bizarre discoveries, such as the funny-looking Masiakasaurus, the smallest dinosaur Microraptor and the dawn tyrant lizard, Eotyrannus. The book begins with a short introduction to dinosaurs, and on page 30, the field guide begins. It is divided by period and continent. Each dinosaur is presented with several color and b/w sketches, a short description, size, and possible behaviour of the dinosaur. Of course, the behaviour is just based on guesses, but it's an interesting read. The images makes this book more than a field guide - it's a true art book. It makes you want to start drawing dinosaurs yourself, or write stories from the mesozoic. I'm currently planning an upcoming dinosaur comic book, and a lot will be based on the look and behaviour of the dinosaurs presented in this book.
Over all, this is by far the best general dinosaur book I've ever read. Packed with facts, and lavishly illustrated, this book is a must have for anyone who's interested in dinosaurs. For the laymen, it is a fantastic journey into a lost world. And all paleontologists, buy it for the artwork!I promise you, it's worth it!

Rating:
Summary: Luis Rey is God
Review: It's hard to resist the urge of writing a review of a book you've never read, isn't it? Although I havn't even seen it in person, this book is gaurenteed to be awesome. Why? Because Luis Rey is on the project. Isn't that enough? The man is a revolutionary in the world of paleo-art, and is simply the best in its class. Now If I wern't completly broke, I'd go buy the thing.

Rating:
Summary: Very different.....
Review: The style of this book is interesting. Along with detailed illustrations, there are many quick style sketches, reminding me of journals carried by early explorers and naturalists. This is possibly the most original dinosaur book ever put together.

Rating:
Summary: nice descriptive book
Review: very descriptive and informative book a must-have for all dinosaur fans