Martin, A.J. 2006. Introduction to the Study of Dinosaurs. Second Edition. – Oxford, Blackwell Publishing

Abstract

A heavy tome, this introduction to dinosaurs, 560 pages on thin paper weighing some 1.5 kilogram’s. And worth every gram of it! It is a highly didactic work, written by an experienced teacher who not only introduces us to dinosaurology, but at the same time to science, scientific methods and a scientific way of thinking. Martin deliberately has that intention, as he explains in the preface. He seeks to show how science works, by constantly asking questions, so that in the end the students who use this book not only know enormously much about dinosaurs, but they also learn about chemistry, physics, mathematics, and how these branches of science can be called to help for better understanding palaeontology. I quite like this approach, as it proves that palaeontology is not just storytelling, but as much a science as are physics or astronomy.

The book contains sixteen chapters, dedicated to subjects such as ‘Overview of Scientific Methods’, ‘History of Dinosaur Studies’, ‘Dinosaur Anatomy and Classification’, ‘Dinosaur Taphonomy’, ‘Dinosaur Physiology’, ‘Dinosaur Ichnology’, in addition to chapters describing the various higher clades within the dinosaurs. It ends – of course – with a chapter on ‘Dinosaur Extinctions’. All chapters end with three standard paragraphs: a summary, a list of discussion questions, and a bibliography. These paragraphs make the book extremely useable in teaching as they make the student think and they provide information for further reading if so desired. Read more...