Synopses & Reviews
Unraveling the fascinating puzzle of who the Tyrannosaurus rexes were and how they lived, this book shares the amazing story of the uncovering and painstaking restoration of prehistorys most popular monster. Written by the most successful T. rex hunter in history, this guide tells how a crew without university grants or funding, even without PhDs, were able to buck the academic establishment and sometimes even the United States government and the FBI in the pursuit of discovery. Legal issues pertaining to the ownership of the finds are fully examined, as is the art, science, and high technology of creating the fantastic restored skeletons that are marveled at in museums.
Review
“Riveting . . . a highly readable adventure story . . . tough, if not impossible, for fossil fans on either side of the political fence to put down.” —The Denver Post
Review
"Provides the personal, behind-the-scenes drama that only someone who lived it could provide. Highly recommended." —Library Journal
Review
“The book anyone who loves dinosaurs must have!” —Robert Bakker, Ph.D., author, The Great Dinosaur Heresies
Review
“Fascinating . . . bring[s] alive the mixture of grit and glamour in recovering fossils.” —The New Scientist Magazine
Synopsis
When Peter Larson and his team from the Black Hills Institute discovered the world's largest and most complete
Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton beneath a South Dakota butte in 1990, they had no idea that it would be the find of a lifetime. Sue, as the skeleton came to be known, would ultimately not only lead them to international recognition, but also pull them into a world of FBI investigations, Native American land claims, competitive paleontologists, and avaricious museum curators. This gripping story chronicles the adventures of Larson and his group, explaining the art, technology, and politics behind one of the most successful group of T-rex hunters.
About the Author
Peter L. Larson is the founder and president of the Black Hills Institute of Geographical Research. He has personally collected and prepared fossil material from North and South America, Europe, and Asia. He lives in Hill City, South Dakota. Kristin Donnan is a writer who investigated controversial legal cases for NBCs Unsolved Mysteries and worked on a special magazine series on collecting dinosaurs. She lives in Hill City, South Dakota.