The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

66 million years ago the dinosaurs were wiped from the face of the earth. Today a new generation of dinosaur hunters, armed with cutting edge technology, is piecing together the complete story of how the dinosaurs created a hugely successful empire that lasted for around 150 million years.In this hugely ambitious and engrossing story of how dinosaurs rose to dominate the planet, using the fossil clues that have been gathered using state of the art technology, Steve Brusatte, one of the world's leading paleontologists, follows these magnificent creatures from the Early Triassic period at the start of their evolution, through the Jurassic period to their final days in the Cretaceous' and the legacy that they left behind.Along the way, Brusatte introduces us to the cast of new dinosaur hunters and gives an insight into what it's like to be a paleontologist whose job it is to hunt for dinosaurs. He offers thrilling accounts of some of the remarkable discoveries he has made, including primitive human-sized tyrannosaurs, monstrous carnivores even larger than T. rex, and feathered raptor dinosaurs preserved in lava from China.At a time when Homo sapiens has existed for less than 200,000 years and we are already talking about planetary extinction, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a timely reminder of what humans can learn from the magnificent creatures who ruled the earth before us.

“Steve Brusatte is doing some of the most exciting research on dinosaurs today, and he brings that excitement to The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs . Whether he's recounting remarkable fossil discoveries or explaining millions of years of evolutionary change, Brusatte shows just how much our understanding of dinosaurs has changed in just the past decade.”

Thrilling . . . the best book on the subject written for the general reader since the 1980s. -- Tom Holland The Sunday Times
A gripping read in the best traditions of popular science -- Andrew Anthony The Observer
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a lovely book. Brusatte has a wonderful knack for conjuring vivid worlds out of a few shards of petrified bone. -- Oliver Moody The Times
A vibrant view of how dinosaurs originated and what happened to our Mesozoic favourites. Brusatte is as adept a scientific storyteller as any reader could ask for. The Spectator
A masterpiece of science writing The Washington Post
An up-to-the-minute account of the long history and remarkable biology of the extraordinary animals that capture the imagination of every child. -- Professor Richard Fortey
Steve Brusatte is doing some of the most exciting research on dinosaurs today, and he brings that excitement to The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs. -- Carl Zimmer, author of Evolution: Making Sense of Life
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a work of solid modern science, updating the fallacies and fancies of antiquated paleontology, revealing the quantum leaps in understanding of this modern science. But it is more than that. It is a personal quest full of enthusiasm and joy, getting beneath the dust to reveal the scales and the feathers of dinosaurs. -- Steve Backshall, Naturalist and BBC TV Presenter
Steve Brusatte's The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a triumph. Written by one of our young leaders of the field, he brings new discoveries, a taste for a good yarn, and his infectious enthusiasm to some of the epic tales of paleontology. It is hard to read Brusatte and not love lost worlds. -- Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish
It's the most epic chapter of earth history, and here it's told vividly by one of the world's top paleontologists. -- Peter Brannen, author of The Ends of the World
With his new book The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs esteemed palaeontologist and author Steve Brusatte shows that the fun, fascinating and fact-filled story of the dinosaurs is still very much alive after 66 million years. Simply, a must read. -- Ben Garrod, BBC TV presenter
Fantastic . . . Superbly illustrated with photos and art, this is popular-science writing at its best. -- Nancy Bent
This is scientific storytelling at its most visceral, striding with the beasts through their Triassic dawn, Jurassic dominance, and abrupt demise in the Cretaceous. Nature
The ultimate dinosaur biography Scientific American
[Brusatte's] captivating text explores the excitement associated with searching for and discovering new dinosaur species, provides clues to many long-standing questions associated with dinosaurs. . . a mix of memoir, chronicling Brusatte’s personal odyssey from a child smitten by dinosaurs to a member of a vibrant scholarly community, and first-rate science writing for the general public. Publishers Weekly
A must-have for fans of ancient reptiles and their lost world. Kirkus Reviews
He gives an extensive bibliography of semi-popular and scholarly sources, many of them so new that the ink is hardly dry. This is science at first hand, meant for grown-ups. -- Henry Geee The Literary Review
Kind in tone and generous in description...[this] memoirlike writing is silly and lovable, making for one big adventure. The Paris Review
Full of adventures and humour. Abundant photographs and illustrations bring these stories to life Science
Excellent...a superb combination of good argument and good writing. -- Matt Ridley
Brusatte skillfully brings dead dino bones to life as he shares - no, gushes about - his personal journey as a young fossil hunter andthe people he’s met along the way… The beauty of this book lies in the details, too, and in the stories of the scientists who dig them up. New York Times Book Review
Brusatte tells the epic tale of the dinosaurs’ rise to dominance and extinction, taking us on a thrilling journey back in time. National Geographic
Rawwrghhh! Millions of years ago dino roars echoed across the earth. This vivid book takes us back. Meet the argentinosaurus, the largest land animal to have lived, and the allosaurus, a nasty predator with horns over its eyes. Steve Brusatte brings dinosaurs alive for a new generation. The Times, Saturday Review, The best nonfiction to read on holiday this summer
Brusatte’s up-to-date survey of the current state of palaeontological knowledge is the best book on dinosaurs written for the general reader since the 1980s. The Times, The 100 best books to read this summer

Dr Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist on the faculty of the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He has a BS in Geophysical Sciences from the University of Chicago, MSc in Palaeobiology from the University of Bristol (UK), and PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Columbia University in New York.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.