Paleo Library Book Review

by Neal Immega, Paleo Section

Insiders’ stories about dino paleontology Rating:

Hunting Dinosaurs by Louie Psihoyos, 1994. Random House, NY. 267 pages.

Hunting Dinosaurs is a dinosaur book with a twist. It has dozens of separate stories about the people who discovered amazing things about dinosaurs. You will find out why Bob Bakker chants while collecting in the field (just like Mike Bieniek!); how Professor Cope, after a lifetime of trying to best his rival Marsh, made one last try for lasting fame; how a labeling error resulted in Brontosaurus having the wrong head; how Peter Galton decided dinos held their tails up off the ground; why a French paleontologist has to sacrifice a water buffalo before he can dig for dino bones in Laos; the connection between an Italian priest and dino tracks in rural Brazil. The stories are accompanied by fabulous photographs (the author took pictures for National Geographic). This is not a dinosaur textbook. It is a great ‘read’. I award it 3½ Trexes out of 4. Check it out of the library before someone beats you to it.