From the bestselling author of The Clockwork Universe and The Writing of the Gods, an "utterly delightful...hugely entertaining" (Air Mail) book about the eccentric Victorians who discovered dinosaur bones, leading to a whole new understanding of human history.In the early 1800s the natural world was a safe and cozy place, or so people believed.
About the Author: Edward Dolnick is the author of Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party, The Writing of the Gods, The Clockwork Universe, The Forger's Spell, and the Edgar Award-winning The Rescue Artist, among other books.
352 Pages
Nature, Animals
Description
About the Book
"In the early 1800s the world was a safe and cozy place. But then a twelve-year-old farm boy in Massachusetts stumbled on a row of fossilized three-toed footprints the size of dinner plates--the first dinosaur tracks ever found. Soon, in England, Victorians unearthed enormous bones--bones that reached as high as a man's head. No one had ever seen such things. Outside of myths and fairy tales, no one had even imagined that creatures like three-toed giants had once lumbered across the land. And if anyone had somehow conjured up such a scene, they would never have imagined that all those animals could have vanished, hundreds of millions years ago. The thought of sudden, arbitrary disappearance from life was unnerving and forced the Victorians to rethink everything they knew about the world. Now, in [this book], ... Edward Dolnick leads us through a compelling true adventure as the paleontologists of the first half of the 19th century puzzled their way through the fossil record to create the story of dinosaurs we know today"--
Book Synopsis
From the bestselling author of The Clockwork Universe and The Writing of the Gods, an "utterly delightful...hugely entertaining" (Air Mail) book about the eccentric Victorians who discovered dinosaur bones, leading to a whole new understanding of human history.In the early 1800s the natural world was a safe and cozy place, or so people believed. But then a twelve-year-old farm boy in Massachusetts stumbled on a row of fossilized three-toed footprints the size of dinner plates--the first dinosaur tracks ever found. Soon, in England, scientists unearthed enormous bones that reached as high as a man's head. Outside of myths and fairy tales, no one had even imagined that creatures like three-toed giants had once lumbered across the land--nor dreamed that they could all have vanished, hundreds of millions years ago. In Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party, celebrated storyteller and historian Edward Dolnick leads us through a compelling true adventure as the paleontologists of the early 19th century puzzled their way through the fossil record to create the story of dinosaurs we know today. The tale begins with Mary Anning, a poor, uneducated woman who had a sixth sense for finding fossils buried deep inside cliffs; moves to William Buckland, an eccentric geologist who filled his home with specimens and famously pieced together a prehistoric scene from the fossil record inside a cave; and then on to the controversial Richard Owen, the era's best-known scientist, and the one who coined the term "dinosaur." "Exuberant" (Kirkus Reviews), entertaining, erudite, and featuring an unconventional cast of characters, Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party tells the story of how the accidental discovery of prehistoric creatures upended humanity's understanding of the world and its own place within it.
Review Quotes
"Utterly delightful . . . hugely entertaining." -Air Mail
About the Author
Edward Dolnick is the author of Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party, The Writing of the Gods, The Clockwork Universe, The Forger's Spell, and the Edgar Award-winning The Rescue Artist, among other books. A former chief science writer at TheBoston Globe, he has written for TheAtlantic, TheNew York Times Magazine, and many other publications. He lives with his wife near Washington, DC.
Dimensions (Overall): 8.3 Inches (H) x 5.4 Inches (W) x .9 Inches (D)
Weight: .65 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 352
Genre: Nature
Sub-Genre: Animals
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Theme: Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures
Format: Paperback
Author: Edward Dolnick
Language: English
Street Date: August 12, 2025
TCIN: 94054760
UPC: 9781982199623
Item Number (DPCI): 247-39-0389
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 0.9 inches length x 5.4 inches width x 8.3 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.65 pounds
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