Dinosaurs and I go way back, an obsession spanning about 28 years! They were undoubtedly responsible for sparking my fascination with the past. I wanted to buy an up-to-date book about dinosaurs to renew my knowledge. The striking cover of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs was what first caught my attention, and the book had excellent reviews. I don’t know how Steve Brusatte has taken such a heavy subject spanning millions and millions of years, and made it very understandable and enjoyable to read, but I was genuinely hooked from the first page!
As we follow the timeline of the dinosaurs from their very beginnings to their horrifying extinction, we meet a whole cast of magnificent, and sometimes downright bizarre animals. All the favourites are featured such as the T. rex, Sauropods, and Triceratops, plus dinosaurs I was not aware existed. Something else I found fascinating were the timescales that were being discussed, for example, volcanoes constantly erupting for millions of years at a time - crazy to get your head around! I also now have an even deeper appreciation for how evolution works and just how much our planet has changed over time.
My own photo taken at The Natural History Museum, London.
The book is broken up and punctuated with stories of discoveries, work carried out by Steve and his friends and the development of palaeontology itself. This was a clever way of breaking up the book and not making it too hard going, I found it really interesting, and it added a more personal touch. It was great to see some familiar names featured such as the amazing Phil Currie, and also to learn about new experts in the field of Palaeontology.
If you already know a lot about dinosaurs then I am not sure
how useful you will find The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, the book is
aimed at those of us who know very little (accurate) information about them. I
like that the author made palaeontology accessible to everyone and didn’t use
unnecessary jargon, it made it so much more enjoyable to read and the
information was easily digestible. Whilst reading I spent a good chunk of time
spewing out dinosaur facts to anyone who would listen! (I am currently fighting
the urge to add numerous facts to this post)
My own photo taken at The Natural History Museum, London.
I learnt so much from this book. It never ceases to amaze me just how palaeontologists find out their information and how much they can tell us about extinct animals. New discoveries are happening all the time and with the advancements in technology, who knows what more will be uncovered in years to come, it’s incredibly exciting!
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