Summary

This text is intended for a one-quarter or one-semester introductory course on dinosaurs. Dinosaurs: The Textbook is a monument to our present understanding of these wonderful creatures. It is a book that will take the student on a journey through nearly every aspect of dinosaur biology, geology, and the history of their discovery. It is a text that presents facts together with current ideas, notions, and controversies. Dr. Lucas presents dinosaurs as successful, living creatures that were merely different in appearance from animals living today. Dr. Lucas has written a comprehensive book that is easily read and understood by students with little scientific background - a book that teaches students not only how to use scientific methods, but how to synthesize data to create their own ideas. In contrast with many dinosaur books from the past, Dr. Lucas, although indicating his own views, allows students the opportunity to think for themselves.