Synopses & Reviews
As real as it gets! Based on one of the most ambitious television ventures ever undertaken, Walking With Dinosaurs: A Natural History takes you back to a time when super-beasts ruled the world. This full-color, hardcover edition captures the awesome nature of the Discovery Channel program in 288 action-packed pages. Through expertly-written text and state-of-the-art computer graphics, this book vividly depicts the age of the dinosaur. More than 225 million years ago, in the middle of the Triassic period, dinosaurs began to roam the Earth. But 170 million years later they had disappeared. How and why this happened continue to be among the world's greatest mysteries. The dinosaur era was one of the most amazing periods in the Earth's history. It saw, for example, the emergence of the first flowering plants and birds and the creation of the continents. But perhaps its most exciting characteristic was the dominance of the Earth by these most spectacular of creatures...the dinosaurs. Walking with Dinosaurs: A Natural History re-creates the age of these super-beasts, vividly depicting the landscape in which they lived and the brutal lifestyle they endured. From the smallest dinosaurs (such as Coelophysis, an early carnivore) to the giants (including the fearsome carnivore Tyrannosaurus Rex and the gentle herbivore Diplodocus), the lives of these awe-inspiring creatures are dramatically brought to life in words and pictures. What did they eat? How did they mate? How did they survive attack? Complete with up-to-the-minute scientific debate on such controversial issues as whether dinosaurs were warm- or cold-blooded and whether they hunted alone or in packs, and illustrated with stunning visual images in which classic natural history photography is combined with state-of-the-art computer graphics, Walking With Dinosaurs: A Natural History is as real as it gets!
Review
Although published to accompany the Discovery Channel television series of the same name, this book by zoologist Haines can stand alone. It contains an abundance of eerily lifelike images of extinct dinosaurs, marine reptiles, pterosaurs, and early mammals, all base on the "animatronics" of the film. The you-are-there text is lavishly supplemented with graphics and with brief essays filled with scientific background information. (Natural History)
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It's fascinating, enlightening, and sometimes a bit frightening as we observe what happens in this specific [dinosaur] ecosystem. Adventure and education are combined as we learn about the latest scientific theories concerning such subjects as the causes for extinction of various species and the dinosaurs themselves, whether birds and dinosaurs are closely related, and more. (Manchester Journal Inquirer)
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Haines scripts a wonderful story of the dinosaurs' Mesozoic heyday...and the book's visual provenance is reflected in spectacular imagery. Haines' vibrant and violent scenarios will thrill and awe. (Booklist)
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Innovatively illustrated ... this magnificent natural history will help readers imagine that world. This marvelously illustrated volume renders a vivid portrait of the extraordinary beasts' violent existence amid an ever-changing terrain. (Publishers Weekly )
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Amazing photographic depictions. (Charlotte Observer Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
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...a highly readable introduction to current theories about dinosaurs that amateur scientists of all ages can enjoy. (Amazon.com)
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Stunningly realistic dinosaur 'photographs' produced by advanced computer graphic set this apart from hundreds of earlier dinosaur books. (Boston Herald)
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This is the perfect book for anyone with an interest in natural history at its most creative....this (book) bring to life unforgettable creatures with the clarity of a time machine. (Gary Post-Tribune)
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It's hard to imagine a more complete treatment of the subject...consider this book the mother lode. (Providence Journal)
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As always, DK books are brilliantly crafted, with stunning artwork and teen-friendly language. (Newsday)
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...takes young adults back to a time before tv, when people lay books on the floor and let their imaginations take them places. Awesome. (Traverse City Record-Eagle )
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An astounding illustrated tour of dinosaurs' world. Innovatively illustrated...this magnificent natural history will help readers imagine that world. This marvelously illustrated volume renders a vivid portrait of the extraordinary beasts' violent existence amid ever-changing terrain (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)
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Although published to accompany the BBC television series of the same name, this book by zoologist Haines can stand alone. The you-are-there text is lavishly illustrated.. (Natural History Magazine)
Review
The remarkable companion volume to the 1999 BBC television series that was broadcast on PBS stations last month...One hundred and seventy million years of prehistory are presented employing photo realistic depictions of dinosaur life. Combining the latest in computer graphics and the ingenuity of special effects teams, this volume captures amazing prehistoric creatures in their home environments. Written by Tim Haines...this is the perfect gift book for anyone with an interest in natural history at its most creative. With nearly 300 pages of stirring full-color illustrations and a thoroughly researched text, this bestseller...brings to life unforgettable creatures with the clarity of a time machine. (Post-Tribune, Gary, Indiana)
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An excellent gift for grown-ups and their children (New Living)
About the Author
Tim Haines studied zoology at Bangor University before pursuing a career in scientific journalism. He has written extensively for newspapers, World Service Radio, and for the BBC television series Nature, one of the most widely enjoyed of all programs on American Public Television. He is the series producer of Walking with Dinosaurs.