5 Really Great Dinosaur Books for Adults

Posted on November 10, 2022

by Amy H

Who says dinosaurs are only interesting for kiddos? Check out these wonderful recent books on dinos for adults!

How Fast Did T. Rex Run? Unsolved Questions from the Frontiers of Dinosaur Science

hoopla eAudiobook

In just the past twenty years, we have learned more about dinosaurs than we did in the previous two centuries. David Hone describes the extraordinary advances in paleontology that are beginning to solve many of the mysteries surrounding these marvelous prehistoric creatures, from their ways of communicating to their mating habits, the color of their skin, their migration patterns and extinction. How did dinosaurs rear their young? What did they eat? What did T. rex actually do with those tiny arms? David Hone draws on his own discoveries at the forefront of dinosaur science to illuminate these and other questions.

The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World

“The worst single day in the history of life on Earth” came 66 million years ago when a space rock slammed into Earth and subsequently wiped out about 75% of living species, writes Riley Black in this impressive account. It not only describes the extinction event, but also celebrates the smaller, scrappier animals and plants that were able to survive the impact and the devastating years-long winter that followed. These organisms might lack the size and majesty of the Triceratops horridus, but that doesn’t make their survival and eventual flourishing any less dramatic. A real-life, natural history page-turning drama that is some of the best science writing currently available.

Dinosaurs Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting History

hoopla eAudiobook

Over his 40-year career, British paleontologist M.J. Benton has seen the field evolve from a speculative discipline, often reliant on guesswork and intuition, into a highly technical science. Learn how CT scans, 3-D digital imaging, and the scanning electron microscope have revolutionized paleontology. For dinosaur movie fans, he analyzes the accuracy of dinosaur animation and feasibility of reconstructing dinosaurs from ancient DNA, à la Jurassic Park. He explores how dinosaur remains are found and excavated, and especially how paleontologists read the details of dinosaurs’ lives from their fossils. Benton’s account shows that, though extinct, dinosaurs are still very much a part of our world.

Dinosaurs – The Grand Tour: Everything Worth Knowing About Dinosaurs from Aardonyx to Zuniceratops

We live in a golden age of paleontological discovery–on average, we find one new dinosaur species per week. The most fascinating among them take their place in this beautifully illustrated book; from Aardonyx, a lumbering beast that formed a link between two- and four-legged dinosaurs, to Zuniceratops, who boasted a deadly pair of horns. The 300 species covered in this book will amaze and fascinate.

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of the Lost World

eBook | eAudiobook | Large Print

A nimble introduction to the world of dinosaurs, this captivating book explores the excitement associated with searching for and discovering new dinosaur species, provides clues to many long-standing questions associated with dinosaurs, and furthers the understanding of ecological and evolutionary development of these fascinating creatures. A mix of memoir, chronicling Steve Brusatte’s odyssey from a child smitten by dinosaurs to a member of a vibrant scholarly community, and first-rate science writing for laypeople. Superbly illustrated with photos and art, this is stellar popular-science writing not to be missed.

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