Dinosaurus: The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs

Magnificent in its breadth and illustration. -- Booklist

Dinosaurus was published in 2003 and went on to sell 15,000 in hardcover and more in paperback. Now 13 years have passed during which there have been dozens of discoveries. At the same price and fully revised, this edition of Dinosaurus is simply too exceptional a value to pass up.

Many incredible discoveries made 2015 a banner year. For example:

• Yi qi (ee chee, strange wing), the earliest known flying non-avian dinosaur
• The Chicken from Hell, a bird-like beaked, clawed and feathered dinosaur that roamed the Dakotas
• Zhenyuanlong suni, a cousin of Velociraptor, suggests that this family has been inaccurately depicted. The new 5-foot-long dino more resembles a feathered poodle than the brute of Jurassic Park.
• Superduck, at 5 tons and with a mate-attracting head crest it is thought to be a missing link between two other known duck-billed head-crested dinosaur species.

Perhaps most exciting is that in 2016 the American Museum of Natural History opened a new exhibition featuring the astonishing, newly discovered 122-foot-long titanosaur, yet to be named. The plant-eating colossus is the largest dinosaur ever found -- it weighed around 77 tons--as much as 14 or 15 African elephants!

No other life-form captures the imagination like dinosaurs. Organized by the major dinosaur families, Dinosaurus identifies 500 species. It describes in detail and stunning illustrations what they looked like, what they ate and how they fought, lived and died.

The features include:

• Concise explanations of species' traits and habits
• Vivid full-color illustrations representing life among the dinosaurs
• Stunning color photographs of dinosaur discoveries
• Latin name, translation and pronunciation
• Height specifics and comparison to humans
• Diet and habitat
• Global distribution.

Brimming with research from digs in North America, Mongolia, Europe, China and elsewhere, Dinosaurus is an encyclopedic and vividly illustrated reference for all ages.

Steve Parker is a scientific fellow of the Zoological Society and is the author of The Encyclopedia of Sharks.