An edition of Terrible Lizard (2001)

Terrible Lizard

The First Dinosaur Hunters and the Birth of a New Science

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Last edited by MARC Bot
November 13, 2023 | History
An edition of Terrible Lizard (2001)

Terrible Lizard

The First Dinosaur Hunters and the Birth of a New Science

  • 2 Want to read

"In 1812 a twelve-year-old girl named Mary Anning was collecting fossils for her father beneath the cliffs of Dorset when she discovered the outline of a lizardlike skeleton embedded in the limestone. Working with a small hammer, she unearthed a giant prehistoric animal seventeen feet in length.".

"News of her discovery baffled scholars and attracted the attention of the Reverend William Buckland, and eccentric Oxford naturalist known for his interest in geology or "undergroundology," as he called it.

Buckland eagerly used Mary's find and other remnant fossils to set in motion a quest to understand the world before Noah's flood, though his inquiry was in fact an attempt to prove the accuracy of the biblical record (the scriptures alone were the key to understanding history in his view, and fossils were interpreted in this context).".

"Meanwhile, another naturalist, Gideon Mantell, a poor country doctor, uncovered giant petrified bones in a Sussex quarry and became obsessed with the ancient past that, he came to realize, must once have been teeming with creatures up to seventy feet long. Initially scorned by the scientific establishment, Mantell risked his reputation and career to reveal his vision of the lost world of reptiles.".

"Despite their efforts, it was the eminent anatomist Richard Owen, patronized by royalty, the prime minister, and the aristocracy, who claimed the credit for the discovery of the dinosaurs. Through guile, political intrigue, and brilliant scientific insight, Owen rose from a surgeon's apprentice in Lancaster to the highest echelons of society and was feted as the man who gave the extinct creatures their name, dinosaur, or "terrible lizard."".

"Deborah Cadbury's lively story re-creates the bitter feud between Mantell and Owen, which drove one of them to despair and ruin and secured for the other unrivaled international acclaim. Their struggle brought to light the age of dinosaurs and created a new science that would forever change man's perception of his place in the universe."--BOOK JACKET.

Publish Date
Publisher
Henry Holt and Co.
Language
English
Pages
384

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Terrible Lizard
Terrible Lizard: The First Dinosaur Hunters and the Birth of a New Science
June 1, 2002, Owl Books
Paperback in English
Cover of: Terrible Lizard
Terrible Lizard: The First Dinosaur Hunters and the Birth of a New Science
June 2001, Henry Holt and Co.
Hardcover in English

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Book Details


First Sentence

"On the south coast of England at Lyme Regis in Dorset, the cliffs tower over the surrounding landscape."

Classifications

Library of Congress
QE754.C33 2001, QE754 .C33 2001

The Physical Object

Format
Hardcover
Number of pages
384
Dimensions
9.6 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
Weight
1.5 pounds

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL7932724M
Internet Archive
terriblelizard00debo
ISBN 10
0805067728
ISBN 13
9780805067729
LCCN
00069701
OCLC/WorldCat
45637101
Library Thing
221537
Goodreads
1109384

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON
November 13, 2023 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 26, 2021 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
February 14, 2020 Edited by MARC Bot remove fake subjects
July 22, 2017 Edited by Mek adding subject: In library
December 14, 2009 Created by WorkBot add works page