Free Epub The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs

The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs

Author: Visit Amazon's Gregory S. Paul Page | Language: English | ISBN: 069113720X | Format: PDF

The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs Description

From Booklist

Covering 735 species of dinosaurs, this volume, the work of a well-known dinosaur researcher and illustrator, consists of two main sections. The first is an introduction that includes a discussion on dinosaur evolution, biology, behavior, and more. The majority of the information is found in the “Group and Species Accounts” section and is further divided into three groups: “Theropods,” “Sauropodomorphs,” and “Ornithischians.” Entries on each species are concise and typically include information related to their anatomical characteristics, age, distribution, and habitat. Notes may be used to communicate alternative theories or debates that apply to the species. The volume also contains more than 600 color and black-and-white illustrations, among them more than 130 color life studies (some of them scenic views); nearly 450 skeletal, skull, head, and muscle drawings; and 8 paleo-distribution maps. Described as “the first authoritative dinosaur book in the style of a field guide,” this volume is more scientific in its language and approach than many of the other dinosaur books a library will have in its collection. At the same time, the illustrations should attract dinosaur fans. Recommended for public and academic libraries. --Robyn Rosenberg

Review

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2011

One of the Library Journal's Best Reference (Print, Electronic, and Free Reference Resources) in the Sciences category,for 2009

Honorable Mention for the 2010 PROSE Award in Single Volume Reference/Science, , Association of American Publishers

"You'll never need to decide whether that massive beast lumbering through your front yard is Chasmosaurus belli or C. sternbergi, but if you did, this would be a handy book to have on your windowsill. . . . [A]s dinosaur guidebooks go, this is as carefully assembled and authoritative as they come."--Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History

"Artist and researcher Gregory S. Paul describes hundreds of dinosaur species in this richly illustrated compendium. Learn how beasts ranging from Allosaurus to zuniceratops grew, moved and reproduced--and how they eventually went extinct."--
Scientific American

"Given the vibrant state of dinosaur science, any book about them is going to be out-of-date by the time it hits shelves, but Gregory Paul's new The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs is a useful yearbook of dinosaurs which includes a variety of rarely-mentioned species. . . . Indeed, Paul is to be credited for pulling so much information together into one volume, as well as for illustrating so many skeletons (some dinosaurs no doubt discovered while the book was in press.)"--Brian Switek, SmithsonianMag.com's Dinosaur Tracking blog

"The publication of Gregory Paul's The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs is cause for celebration for all who share a fascination with this diverse family of animals. Paul's field guide is (perhaps) the most comprehensive one-volume guide to what we know about 735 species of dinosaurs. The book includes an outstanding . . . introduction summarizing the history of dinosaurs research, evolution, biology, energetics, behavior, and distribution. It includes a discussion of the most arresting feature of dinosaurs--their great size. . . . The heart of the book is a richly illustrated field guide which is organized like any of the field guides that we have become accustomed to. The species are presented in phylogenic order and meticulously and beautifully illustrated following the current state of our knowledge of posture and shape."--Wayne Mones, AudubonMagazine.org blog

"World-renowned dinosaur illustrator and researcher Gregory Paul provides comprehensive visual and textual coverage of the dinosaurs in this lavishly illustrated field guide. Incorporating the latest discoveries and research that are radically transforming what we know about dinosaurs, this book is distinguished both by its scientific accuracy and the quality and quantity of its illustrations. . . . The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs is a must-have for anyone who loves dinosaurs, from the amateur enthusiast to the professional paleontologist."--
Prehistoric Times

"Lavishly filled with fossil forms and drawn interpretations of their outward appearance, the guide covers the entire spectrum of dinosaur species. The color images of some of the rock stars of the Age of Dinosaurs, from T-Rex to Triceratops, will enthrall any youngster with a yen for these ancient beasts. . . . Paul has revitalized and re-invented the depiction of dinosaurs in recent decades, and the book brings the breadth of their lost world to today's readers."--Dan Vergano, USA Today

"This latest book by Paul, a leading dinosaur researcher and illustrator, is an excellent accompaniment to your standard dinosaur encyclopedias. Its strength lies in the inclusion of over 735 species, along with information on how complete the fossil skeletons representing them are, anatomical characteristics, distribution of fossil finds, the animal's probable habitat, and what scientists believe about its behavior. . . . [B]eautifully illustrated."--
Library Journal

"A fantastic new book on dinosaurs. . . . Paul is an accomplished illustrator and expert in all things dinosaurian. The first 60 pages of the book provide an introduction to dinosaur biology, morphology and techniques for studying these fossils. The information on how the limbs of dinosaurs articulated is particularly intriguing. . . . His fine illustrations provide nice accents to the text. The meat of the book is the coverage of individual dinosaur species."--Herb Wilson, Portland Press Herald

"This book . . . shows off Paul at his artistic and conceptual finest, as it is replete with all the latest knowledge of dinosaurian knowledge. . . . [I]t's an excellent book, one of the best ever, and one which I wish was around in my youth, when all I had were dense textbooks."--Dan Schneider, Blogcritics.org

"There's no doubt that Paul has done a tremendous job with The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs and it's quite impressive. If you're serious about dinosaurs and want a meticulously researched guide, this is certainly the book for you."--Jonathan Liu, Wired.com's GeekDad blog

"Paul, an eminent authority on dinosaur anatomy and a leading dinosaur illustrator, presents detailed information on all dinosaur groups. . . . The author, well known for his detailed skeletal diagrams and ability to interpret dinosaur biomechanics, displays his formidable skills throughout this book. . . . Serious dinosaur scholars will devour this book; it is a major contribution to the field."--
Choice

"Reproduced and copied time and again, Paul's interpretation of dinosaur anatomy has found for years a permanent home on both the popular and scientific page. Paul's latest publication, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, is the collection of these skeletal reconstructions that the dinosaur-loving community has been waiting for. If nothing else, it is this collection that makes the book worthy of ownership."--Richard A. Kissel, American Paleontologist

"I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It represents the most comprehensive collection of scientifically informed dinosaur anatomical illustrations to date, making it a valuable desk reference. One can imagine taking a trip back to the Mesozoic and using this guide to identify these awe-inspiring creatures. This volume should find a proud place on the bookshelf of both amateurs and professionals."--Christopher R. Noto, Quarterly Review of Biology

"I am certain that all ages of dinosaur fans will love this book."--Dan Tallman, South Dakota Bird Notes

"Greg Paul is an independent researcher who specialises on dinosaurs; he's well known for his popular articles, books and technical papers, but in particular for his hugely influential artwork. Paul's most recent book--the 2010 The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs--is, simply put, the ultimate Greg Paul book. It's a large, heavily illustrated catalogue of over 400 reconstructed skeletons, accompanied throughout with life restorations and brief chunks of text that present data on the world's Mesozoic dinosaur species."--Darren Naish, ScientificAmerican.com's Tetrapod Zoology blog

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Product Details
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Series: Princeton Field Guides
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Princeton University Press (October 10, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 069113720X
ISBN-13: 978-0691137209
Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Paul's "Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs" is a wonderful resource with a great deal of information for professionals and lay persons alike, but particularly adults who have an interest in dinosaurs. That being said, it's difficult to know which audience this book is primarily targeting (professionals or lay persons).

To my knowledge, this is the first "field guide" since David Lambert's Dinosaur Field Guide (1986) and Dinosaur Data Book (1989) that extensively covers many known genera and species. However, one advantage to Paul's book over Lambert's is that many of the species accounts are accompanied by illustrations of the known skeletal material upon which the species are identified. Additionall, the skeletal reconstructions for a number of species are shown from different angles (top down & side view primarily). Couple this with Paul's life reconstructions and you have a wonderful resource.

Paul's incorporation of some of the latest research (e.g. Anchiornis huxleyi coloration) makes this book a great and timely asset.

As a lay person who has not kept up on many of the technical papers, I think I would have benefitted from more explanations of some of Paul's taxonomy changes. For example, I was surprised to learn that Styracosaurus was no longer considered a distinct genus, but was lumped with Centrosaurus. The Theropod taxonomic revisions seemed to be well explained, but many of the plant-eaters did not include the same sorts of justification comments.

Another thing that would have perhaps made this book more valuable/interesting to a lay person is to have reduced its size a bit to make it more like a field guide for extant species. Something along the size of a Sibley Guide to Birds would have worked.

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