The Complete Dinosaur: (Life of the Past)

What do we know about dinosaurs, and how do we know it? How did dinosaurs grow, move, eat, and reproduce? Were they warm-blooded or cold-blooded? How intelligent were they? These questions, and more, are addressed in the new, expanded, second edition of The Complete Dinosaur. Written by many of the world’s leading experts on the “fearfully great” reptiles, the book’s 45 chapters cover what we have learned about dinosaurs, from the earliest discoveries of dinosaurs to the most recent controversies. Where scientific contention exists, the editors have let the experts agree to disagree. Copiously illustrated and accessible to all readers from the enthusiastic amateur to the most learned professional paleontologist, The Complete Dinosaur is a feast for serious dinosaur lovers everywhere.

Table of Contents:
List of Contributors Part One: The Discovery of Dinosaurs 1. Dinosaurs: The Earliest Discoveries David A. E. Spalding and William A. S. Sarjeant 2. Politics and Paleontology: Richard Owen and the Invention of Dinosaurs Hugh S. Torrens 3. European Dinosaur Hunters of the 19th and 20th Centuries Hans-Dieter Sues 4. North American Dinosaur Hunters Edwin H. Colbert, David D. Gillette, and Ralph E. Molnar 5. The Search for Dinosaurs in Asia Corwin Sullivan, David W. E. Hone, and Xing Xu 6. Dinosaur Hunters of the Southern Continents Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. Part Two: The Study of Dinosaurs 7. Hunting for Dinosaur Bones David D. Gillette 8. The Osteology of the Dinosaurs Thomas R. Holtz and M. K. Brett-Surman 9. Reconstructing the Musculature of Dinosaurs David W. Dilkes, John R. Hutchinson, Casey M. Holliday, and Lawrence M. Witmer 10. Dinosaur Paleoneurology Emily Buchholtz 11. Taxonomy of the Dinosauria Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. and M. K. Brett-Surman 12. Dinosaurs and Geologic Time James I. Kirkland and James O. Farlow 13. Technology and the Study of Dinosaurs Ralph E. Chapman, Art Andersen, Brent H. Breithaupt, and Neffra A. Matthews 14. Claws, Scales, Beaks, and Feathers: Molecular Traces in the Fossil Record Mary Higby Schweitzer and Mark Marshall 15. Dinosaurs as Museum Exhibits Kenneth Carpenter 16. Restoring Dinosaurs as Living Animals Douglas Henderson Part Three: The Clades of Dinosaurs 17. Evolution of the Archosaurs J. Michael Parrish 18. Origin and Early Evolution of Dinosaurs Michael J. Benton 19. Theropods Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. 20. Birds Darren Naish 21. Basal Sauropodomorpha: The "Prosauropods" Adam Yates 22. Sauropoda Jeffrey A. Wilson and Kristina Curry Rogers 23. Stegosaurs Peter M. Galton 24. Ankylosaurs Kenneth Carpenter 25. Marginocephalia Peter Makovicky 26. Ornithopods Richard J. Butler and Paul M. Barrett Part Four: Paleobiology of the Dinosaurs 27. Land Plants as a Source of Food and Environment in the Age of Dinosaurs Bruce H. Tiffney 28. What Did Dinosaurs Eat: Coprolites and Other Direct Evidence of Dinosaur Diets Karen Chin 29. Reproductive Biology of Dinosaurs Terry D. Jones and Nicholas R. Geist 30. Dinosaur Eggs Darla K. Zelenitsky, John R. Horner, and François Therrien 31. How Dinosaurs Grew R. E. H. Reid 32. Engineering a Dinosaur Donald Henderson 33. Disease in Dinosaurs Elizabeth Rega 34. The Scientific Study of Dinosaur Footprints James O. Farlow, Ralph E. Chapman, Brent Breithaupt, and Neffra Matthews 35. The Role of Heterochrony in Dinosaur Evolution Kenneth J. McNamara and John A. Long 36. Metabolic Physiology of Dinosaurs and Early Birds John A. Ruben, Terry D. Jones, Nicholas R. Geist, Willem J. Hillenius, Amy E. Harwell, and Devon E. Quick 37. Evidence for Avian-Mammalian Aerobic Capacity and Thermoregulation in Mesozoic Dinosaurs Gregory S. Paul 38. "Intermediate" Dinosaurs: The Case Updated R. E. H. Reid Part Five: Dinosaur Evolution in the Mesozoic 39. Principles of Biogeography Ralph E. Molnar 40. Non-Dinosaurian Vertebrates Nicholas C. Fraser 41. Early Mesozoic Continental Tetrapods and Faunal Changes Hans-Dieter Sues 42. Dinosaurian Faunas of the Later Mesozoic Matthew T. Carrano 43. Dinosaur Extinction: Past and Present Perspectives J. David Archibald 44. Life after Death: Dinosaur Fossils in Human Hands Daniel J. Chure 45. Dinosaurs and Evolutionary Theory Kevin Padian and Elizabeth K. Burton Appendix: Dinosaur-Related WWW Sites Glossary Index

About the Author :
M. K. Brett-Surman is Museum Specialist at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr., is Senior Lecturer and Director, Earth, Life and Time Program, Department of Geology, University of Maryland. James O. Farlow is Professor of Geology at Indiana University–Purdue University at Ft. Wayne.

Review :
"Praise for the first edition: "Stimulating armchair company for cold winter evenings... Best of all, the book treats dinosaurs as intellectual fun." New Scientist "A gift to serious dinosaur enthusiasts... A highly successful volume." Science "The book is useful both as a reference and as a browse-and-enjoy compendium." Natural History "The amount of information in [these] pages is amazing. This book should be on the shelves of dinosaur freaks as well as those who need to know more about the paleobiology of extinct animals. It will be an invaluable library reference." American Reference Books Annual "Praise for the second edition: "Written by many of the world's leading experts on the "fearfully great" reptiles, the book's 45 chapters cover what we have learned about dinosaurs, from the earliest discoveries of dinosaurs to the most recent controversies. Where scientific contention exists, the editors have let the experts agree to disagree. Copiously illustrated and accessible to all readers from the enthusiastic amateur to the most learned professional paleontologist, The Complete Dinosaur is a feast for serious dinosaur lovers everywhere." - Ian Paulsen, Grrl Scientist hosted by The Guardian, July 8th, 2012 "[A] highly valuable resource for anyone with a serious interest in dinosaurs. Even as dinosaur family trees change, and discoveries alter what we thought we knew, the new volume is a fertile starting place for students and experts interested in paleontological problems they have not considered before. At the very least, The Complete Dinosaur demonstrates how exceptionally rich the study of dinosaurs has become."--National Geographic Laelaps "This substantial, and now revised, multi-author book is a good introduction to dinosaur (and early bird) science, without demanding much if any technical knowledge, in 45 chapters variously taxonomic and thematic, on subjects including aspects of dinobiology, methodology and theory, and even dinoart."--Archives of Natural History "For such a large book devoted to mostly science, it's nice to see that science embedded by appreciation for the history of the field of dinosaur paleontology on both ends. Throughout the book are scientific illustrations and other images, as well as a central section of colored plates of dinosaur art."--The Dispersal of Darwin