In the Presence of Dinosaurs - Hardcover

John Colagrande; Larry Felder

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0737000899 ISBN 13: 9780737000894

Publisher: Time Life Books, 2000

Synopsis

Explores life in the Mesozoic era through text and illustrations that speculate on the daily life and behavior of dinosaurs and other creatures who lived in the various habitats of that time period.

About this title

Review:

The dinosaurs are dead; long live the dinosaurs. Extinct for 65 million years, dinosaurs have never been more popular. They have been riding a wave of public interest as their image changes from slow-moving monsters doomed to extinction to fascinating, frightening relatives of birds. In the Presence of Dinosaurs proclaims itself "the culmination of this paleontological paradigm shift"--and it is certainly a stunning sight.

Larry Felder's dinosaur paintings have near-photographic realism. The lighting and angles of view are those of the wildlife photographer, not the static diorama. When a Hydrotherosaurus (a close double for the Loch Ness Monster) catches a coelacanth, the line of sight is up the huge neck and apparently through a water-dotted lens. James Gurney, author of Dinotopia, reports: "When I saw the Pterandon courtship picture, I said, 'Yes, of course!'" Parasaurolophus bellowing at sunset, Coelophysis snaring prey as they run from a wildfire, Tricerotops at a waterhole; all the pictures are grippingly realistic and beautiful.

The text, by Felder's high school teacher John Colagrande, is also exceptionally vivid. It reads like a naturalist's exploration of a living world, not the catalogue of a museum: "Just as the wet season is winding down, and the rivers are at their highest, female phytosaurs take over the portions of the riverbank closest to the scrub cover of the flood plains as nesting areas." This is indeed "not an account of extinct animals so much as a celebration of life. It is a wildlife book whose subjects include dinosaurs." --Mary Ellen Curtin

From the Publisher:

Using information from both fossil records and studies of present-day animals, IN THE PRESENCE OF DINOSAURS combines the fields of paleontology and biology to create breathtaking images and a compelling narrative, portraying the habitats and behaviors of dinosaurs. This intimate encounter with ancient creatures of the air, land, and sea provides a vivid, original account of life as it was millions of years ago. IN THE PRESENCE OF DINOSAURS applies carefully researched information to create original and fresh glimpses into the lives of prehistoric animals. It will be fascinating to amateur paleontologists, as well as those who are interested in animal behavior.

*100 full-color oil paintings by highly acclaimed dinosaur artist Larry Felder
*Foreword by Jack Horner, author and Curator of Paleontology, Museum of the Rockies
*Endorsed by Jim Gurney (Dinotopia)
*Backmatter includes "The Artist at Work" and "Notes" section describing the biological, paleontological, and botanical facts that led the co-authors and illustrators to their conclusions.

About this edition

• Publisher: Time Life Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0737000899
• ISBN 13: 9780737000894
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 189
• Illustrator: Larry Felder