Prehistoric Monsters: The Real and Imagined Creatures of the Past That We Love to Fear

by Allen A. Debus

Overview

Over centuries, discoveries of fossil bones spawned legends of monsters such as giants and dragons. As the field of earth sciences matured during the 19th century, early fossilists gained understanding of prehistoric creatures such as Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops and Stegosaurus. This historical study examines how these genuine beasts morphed in the public imagination into mythical, powerful engines of destruction and harbingers of cataclysm, taking their place in popular culture, film, and literature as symbols of "lost worlds" where time stands still.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786442812
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	12/14/2009
Pages:	340
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Allen A. Debus, a retired environmental chemist, has long been infatuated with dinosaurs, paleontology, science fiction, Godzilla and King Kong. He has written several books addressing prehistoric creatures—both real and fictional—in popular culture, and attends Chicagoland’s Wizard World and G-Fest. He is a member of the G-Fan Hall of Fame and lives in Hanover Park, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface     
Introduction: Prehistoric Monster Reflections     

ONE. Inventing the Prehistoric Monster     
TWO. Great-Claw     
THREE. Furred Fury: Exhumation of Incognitum, America’s First Carnivorous Monster     
FOUR. Behemoth and Leviathan—The Beauty of His Beasts     
FIVE. Apish Antediluvia, or Darwin’s Great Caveman Psych-Out!     
SIX. Triumph of the Leapin’ Lizards     
SEVEN. Cretaceous Sanctuary     
EIGHT. Rex Battles     
NINE. Modern Prometheus     
TEN. “And Their Lost Worlds”     

Appendix. The Most Famous Prehistoric Monsters in Popular Culture     
Chapter Notes     
Bibliography     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

Prehistoric Monsters is an insightful, educational, and entertaining historical perspective on some of the most significant fossil beasts discovered in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries...an easy read, as well as being copiously illustrated with historical images and extensively cross-referenced. Students of paleohistory and paleoart as well as those interested in the evolving influence of paleontology on society will surely want to clear space on their bookshelves for a copy”—Fossil News; “if you are interested in the history of dinosaurs in popular culture, Debus is an author you simply cannot ignore...Debus does a huge service to those who work in the history of science”—H-Net Reviews.

From the Publisher

Prehistoric Monsters is an insightful, educational, and entertaining historical perspective on some of the most significant fossil beasts discovered in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries...an easy read, as well as being copiously illustrated with historical images and extensively cross-referenced. Students of paleohistory and paleoart as well as those interested in the evolving influence of paleontology on society will surely want to clear space on their bookshelves for a copy

Fossil News