Pretty in Pink Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 DS13 has asked for a 'college-level' paleontology text for Christmas. He is an advanced reader but perhaps a true college text is a bit advanced for him (although he'd still read it cover to cover, I have no doubt). Still, he's looking for something more than DK or the like. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 The only college level paleontology text I know of is an actual college text and so expensive. Life of the Past Wm Ausich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 This book, by paleontologist Jack Horner, is not a textbook. It's written in an engaging narrative style: Dinosaurs: Under the Big Sky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest youbetcha Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My 13 yo son, a self confessed dinosaur nerd, recommends the following (in order): (1) Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages by Thomas Holtz Jr. and Luis V. Rey (2) The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs by Gregory S. Paul (3) Dinosaurs: A Concise Natural History by David Fastovsky and David Weishampel While not the most recent, he rates the Holtz book as a "must have" and it remains his favorite reference in his paleontology library (30+ books). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted November 9, 2011 Author Share Posted November 9, 2011 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I think Mary Schweitzer used to be a grad student under Horner, or at least worked with him some. She's the one at North Carolina who has been studying soft tissue, bone marrow, etc. in dinos. I don't know if she has published anything yet, but anything about her work would be great to read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 This book by Horner might cover her work: http://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Dinosaur-Extinction-Forever/dp/0525951040/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1320873717&sr=8-5# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 (edited) These are some of my favorite titles on dinosaurs and fossils for the layman, which could be a good place to start: Dinosaur Livesby John Horner Tyrannosaurus Sue: The Exraordinary Saga of the Largest, Most Fought Over T. Rex Ever Foundby Steve Fiffer A Fish Caught in Time by Samantha Weinberg As far as true college texts, there are not too many intro-level books that are specifically about dinosaurs or paleontology, because paleontology is usually studied in the early college years as a subset of geology-- and dinosaurs, while fascinating, are really fossils and are studied at first as a tool for dating rock formations and recreating environments. To do college-level study of dinosaurs, you need to understand the context in which the fossils (including dinosaurs) lived and that requires some understanding of other geologic principles. So, assuming your son has already read a freshman-level geology textbook, I'd next recommend moving to a historical geology textbook like this one by Dott and Prothero (a previous edition of this one was one of my favorites as an undergrad, and I still keep it around as a reference). Other paleontology books that are a step up from Eyewitness and fairly technical, but not all the way to "texbooks" include: Prehistoric Life by David Norman Prehistoric Life: The Definitive Visual History (DK book) Let me if you want additional recommendations, I have a million. :001_smile: Edited November 9, 2011 by jar7709 edited to add a couple titles and fix links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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