National Geographic Dinosaurs

This overview includes nearly 200 pages of well-organized, attractively presented information. The opening chapters offer a chronology of the age of dinosaurs, a brief history of key discoveries, and lots of information about the creatures' habits and characteristics in general. The heart of the book is the 50 or so profiles of individual dinosaur genera, divided into the two major groups (bird-hipped and lizard-hipped). Each one includes size, location, and era, as well as basic information and intriguing facts. While not a comprehensive dictionary of species, the entries offer a wealth of information. The attractive layout makes this a good resource for both browsing and for more in-depth research. The uncluttered "profiles" feature one main illustration of the dinosaur, along with a few smaller captioned illustrations. A time line, fact file, and map for each species appears consistently on the edge of the page. Interspersed among the introductory chapters and profiles are over a dozen dramatic, full-page and two-page scenes, vividly capturing selected species in action. Several recent discoveries are mentioned, and current theories are clearly distinguished from accepted fact in such areas as classification, evolutionary factors, and behaviors.

A lavishly illustrated reference traces the discovery of all types of dinosaurs; reveals the latest information about these fascinating creatures; provides the latest scientific thoughts, theories, and discoveries; contains a wealth of charts, maps, paintings, and photographs; and more.