Sathnam Sanghera
"This book confirms what I've suspected for a while, that Michael Taylor is the most talented young historian around. This book dazzles in its originality and there is something you want to commit to memory on every page. A triumph."
Tom Holland
"An account of the discovery of deep time that is as thrilling as it is sweeping, populated by a brilliantly drawn cast of characters, and vivid with a Mesozoic bestiary."
Adrian Desmond
"A sweeping account of the discovery of dinosaurs and the horrifying depths of time, and their impact on god-fearing Victorians. Taylor marches us with panache from Bishop Ussher's impossibly young world to today's incomprehensibly old planet. We feel the awe and fright across society as the vast reptilian empires are brought to light."
Michael Benton
"Amazing. . . . Taylor paints the complex picture of the fundamental tension between religion and geology through the nineteenth century with verve and humor. . . . An important story that still affects us today."
Steve Brusatte
"In this stunning work of popular history, historian Michael Taylor shows how the discovery of dinosaurs triggered a domino effect that shook the foundations of Western culture. A most engrossing book of surprises and revelations."
Peter Frankopan
"An astonishing book about an extraordinary subject. Michael Taylor tells the story of the collision of science and religion in an age of change with authority, wit and verve. A delight."
Richard Holmes
"A truly marvelous book: superb research and a sparkling narrative dramatize an epic battle of ideas and an intellectual thriller. Michael Taylor succeeds in reanimating those famous dinosaur wars of the nineteenth century with real brilliance, and makes them as fresh and furious as ever. Exuberant, stylish and brilliantly sustained throughout."
Kirkus Reviews
2024-02-14
A remarkable look at how sweeping social changes can come from strange and small beginnings.
Anyone who thinks that the culture wars of contemporary times are being fought with unprecedented ferocity should take a look at this book, “a history of the geologists, paleontologists, and biologists who…discovered dinosaurs, expanded our knowledge of the earliest ages of Earth, and transformed our understanding of humankind’s descent.” Taylor, a well-regarded historian and author of The Interest, focuses on Britain in the 19th century and how the absolutes of fundamentalist religion were upended by discoveries of dinosaur bones and other fossilized remains. Until that time, the authority of the church was largely unchallenged. Consequently, the early-18th-century discovery of ancient bones of unknown creatures raised serious questions. At this time, Britain was undergoing a development boom, and the construction of new mines and railways soon revealed more bones. As the evidence of prehistoric animals continued to mount, the religious authorities found themselves on the defensive. There were many efforts to reconcile the emerging sciences with biblical history, but clearly there was no going back, despite fierce debate at every level. The speed of all this is striking: Essentially, within two generations, the basis of society shifted from religious certainty to scientific inquiry. "Few if any transformations in intellectual history have been more profound,” Taylor concludes. It’s telling that when Darwin, who had once been pilloried as a crank and a fraud, died in 1882, he was buried with honors in Westminster Abbey. Taylor ably conveys the ferment of the time, and he does so with respect to all concerned. This is an intriguing and accessible book, featuring many useful insights into how one age ended and another began.
With careful research, Taylor unravels how the discovery of the past pointed the way toward a new future.
