Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Dinosaurs by Peter Zallinger Vintage Dinosaur Art: Prehistoric Animals (by Peter Zallinger) There’s a tendency in children’s publishing to give any book that features a range of prehistoric animals – including dinosaurs – a title that literally places the word ‘dinosaurs’ above all else, in a huge typeface, often followed by a much smaller “and the prehistoric world” or “and other prehistoric animals”. It’s a tendency I’ve alluded to on a number of occasions by referring to ‘otherprehistoricanimals’ appearing in books, as if they’re an afterthought. Well, not here! For this 1978 Random House publication, lavishly illustrated in superb style by Peter Zallinger, is simply entitled Prehistoric Animals . What’s more, dinosaurs only feature on one spread. If anything, those Pesky Mammals are probably given too much due here, given the pathetic 65 million years that they’ve ‘dominated the Earth’ (from a certain point of view). But never mind – this is a very charming little book featuring some beautiful artwork, and definitely worth a closer look. What’s that, you say? Peter Zallinger is the son of some other famous Zallinger? I have no idea who you mean. The book gets off to a good start with a truly action-packed cover, featuring a pair of very frightening-looking sabre-toothed cats closing in on an elephant trapped in a tar pit. One of them has paused to take a swipe at what (based on perspective) must be a truly enormous bird, which I can only imagine to be Teratornis . We’re also given a good impression of Zallinger’s artistic style, which differs considerably in technique from Zallinger Sr, but is equally as detail-heavy and ‘realistic’ while retaining a certain stylisation. As a child, I was always on the look out for dinosaur books, and generally eschewed those that had covers featuring prehistoric mammals; however, this would definitely have been an exception. If only the ‘Please Read to Me’ bunnies had been sabre-toothed, too. The book’s first spread actually features a Carboniferous forest, complete with giant dragonfly-like insect. However, as it doesn’t even feature so much as a single vertebrate animal, I’ve decided to skip it. Sorry. The next spread along is all about, naturally enough, the beginnings of the most magnificent and bestest animal clade of all – the tetrapods. (Fish were evolving for an awful long time before this, but we don’t care about that. Get to the good bits.) On the left, we have Eusthenopteron , crawling its way up on to the beautifully detailed earth. On the right we have Eryops , the comically big-headed temnospondyl we’ve all come to know and love. The latter in particular sports a stripy camouflage pattern that is gorgeous in a subtle, naturalistic sort of way; very reminiscent of today’s amphibians. I also really like the attention to detail in the plant life in this scene, which is as alien-looking as one might expect, given the time periods involved. Evolution continues apace, as later vertebrates adapt to live on the land full time. (Well, there’s a bit of overlap between these and Eryops, but… never mind.) Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus are here described as ‘reptiles’, which admittedly was a very normal thing to do until relatively recently, when phylogenetics swept away all in its path, and made Alan Feduccia very sad. We can set all that aside, though, and just admire the wonderful artwork. ADMIRE IT. Both animals demonstrate Zallinger’s excellent grasp of anatomy and attention to detail. Naturally, Dimetrodon looks suitably proud of itself (and kudos for the tricky angle), but Zallinger even manages to make Edaphosaurus look uncommonly dynamic and interesting, what with that well-executed walking posture and muscular tail. For a creature normally depicted (perhaps not unjustifiably) as a pin- headed dullard, it’s quite an achievement. Moving on, and we come to the Great Schism among amniotes, when synapsids found themselves pitched against what would go on to become the Ruling Reptiles. Here, Zallinger illustrates this great divide by having Lycaenops and Saltoposuchus walking in opposite directions, looking disdainful, while keeping their beady eyes on one another. When compared with later reconstructions, the Lycaenops is strikingly skinny and ‘reptilian’ in appearance, with an apparently scaly hide in spite of its many mammal-like features. Saltoposuchus looks a bit shrink-wrapped in places, but is notably restored with an erect tail, contrasting its altogether droopier appearance in older works (including those by Zallinger Sr). Peter Zallinger was definitely into the whole Dino Renaissance thing, as we shall see shortly. (Lovely ferns, by the way.) So, yes, that Dino Renaissance thing. Here are the dinosaurs. If anything, the typically over-exposed clade is rather underserved here – three of the dinosaurs featured are theropods, and all of them are saurischians. Struthiomimus and Deinonychus had long been recognised as fleet-footed creatures, but it’s notable that Rexy is depicted in a strikingly modern guise, its tail held firmly aloft, striking a pose with its silly forelimbs. They’re a thoroughly decent bunch for the late ’70s; the Apatosaurus is a little shapeless and dull, but at least it has an appropriate head and isn’t a Giant Blob. A little more variation in colour wouldn’t have gone amiss, but browns, greens, greenish-browns and grey will do, I guess. I do really like the statement that contemporary mammals “could not compete with the dinosaurs for food”. It does help dispel that ‘March of Progress’ idea of evolution, which remains a little too persistent. Even if the mammals couldn’t compete with the non-avian dinosaurs during the Mesozoic, once the overpowered diapsids were removed 65 million years ago, the furry ones were finally able to diverse. The animal on the left – Barylambda – is seldom mentioned in books like these, and I certainly welcome its inclusion, especially since it resulted in me looking the beastie up on Wikipedia. The unspecified snake is a nice touch that aids the composition of the scene. Meanwhile, on the right, we have a ferocious killer with lethal teeth for ripping and tearing, and a honkin’ great big head. The teeth on Zallinger’s reconstruction appear a bit over-exposed, but otherwise it ranks quite low on the monstrousness-scale as far as Andrewsarchus restorations go. The nails are probably unduly bear-like, but nitpicking aside, it’s an impressive illustration of a big old muscular brute that perfectly reflects contemporary thoughts on its lifestyle and evolutionary affinities. Oh look, it’s Diat … Gastornis , casually plucking tiny ‘proto-horses’ off the ground as it was wont to do. The appearance of the killer-or-maybe- it-wasn’t bird here is very reminiscent of earlier reconstructions by Charles Knight and, especially, Zdenek Burian. We don’t actually know that it resembled a cassowary with an oversized noggin, you know. Meanwhile, over on the right, we have the awesome rhino-like Uintatherium and Hyrachyus , which was certainly a perissodactyl mammal that existed at some point, and may well have been brown. It also looks a bit emaciated here, although happily Uintatherium is a suitably chunky lad. Again, I should probably draw attention to all that foliage. The background flora in this book is consistently lush and well done; Zallinger never opts to stick his animals on a nondescript dirt patch with a few ferns or tufts of grass, and he should be applauded for that. Now here’s something completely different…a shark! But not just any shark, for this would be that controversial kaiju-shark that gets people on certain internet forums all hot under the collar. For whatever reason, it’s here referred to as Carcharodon , which could imply that it’s actually just a great white shark (where it not for the description of it being “50 feet long”). I mean, if you’re going to incongruously refer to the specific name of anything (other than Tyrannosaurus rex ), then surely it’s THE MEGALODON. Here, monstro-shark is implied to have been so badass, that it might have hunted the rather older Basilosaurus , somehow. Never mind that it couldn’t have happened – that’s just begging for some ultra- awesomebro palaeoart. We don’t get that here, of course, but we do get a perfectly serviceable and rather sinister illustration of a huge shark emerging through the green murk, with a disconcertingly skinny (and seemingly lipless – that trope again!) Basilosaurus hanging out in the background. I know I’ve said this a thousand times, but why was Basilosaurus so often illustrated without lips? It’s a mammal. We have modern aquatic mammals with big teeth. Why, why. Why. Back on dry land, and here’s a truly impressive beast. Forget improbably aged tyrannosaur clones – a Megacerops bellowing away in front of an erupting volcano is where it’s at. It’s remarkable how an artist can take what would be a cringeworthy trope in an illustration of Mesozoic dinosaurs, transplant it to the Eocene, and create something quite spectacular. But there it is. It helps in no small measure than Zallinger’s Megacerops (aka Brontotherium , aka Brontops , etc.) is a very impressive and awesome creation, an imposing wall of flesh, muscle and U- shaped horny bit so unflappable, not even violent volcanic activity will cause it to break its stride. Wonderful stuff. Out of the way, rabbit. (And before you mention it, yes, one of Burian’s Brontotherium pieces had some volcanoes in the background, too. But not like this, damn it.) EDIT: Joan Turmelle over on Facebook has also pointed out the similarities to the Age of Mammals mural by R Zallinger, which I’m still quite shamefully unfamiliar with. Well observed. There’s an erupting volcano and everything. And finally…here are some rather cold-looking Neanderthals fending off a cave bear that looks like a slightly dodgy taxidermy mount, but might not be too far from the truth. Again, I do appreciate that the ending here isn’t ‘AND MAN CAME TO DOMINATE THE EARTH’ – rather, it emphasises the paltry insignificance of humans in the grand scheme of things. Humans will only be around in the short term…although unusually, we have some control over just how short a term that will be. I guess I’d better stop before I start getting all topical. Thanks to Andrew Stück for sending us scans of this book! Much appreciated, there! Next time: something else! You know, next month will mark 20 years since the first broadcast of Walking With Dinosaurs …that’s got to be worth something. Vintage Dinosaur Art: Dinosaurs and Other Archosaurs – Part 2. Having already covered Peter Zallinger’s theropods – or at least, the non-avian ones – we should probably turn our attention to the various Other Dinosaurs that populate Dinosaurs and Other Archosaurs . We’ll start with some basal sauropodomorphs which are, yet again, green and tan. Or is it tan and green? Once again, these are reconstructions that are exceptionally well-observed for the time in terms of anatomical details, but also rather skinny – particularly for herbivorous animals, which would have had huge guts. (Doomguy would be enthused.) For me, Zallinger’s Plateosaurus appears particularly shrink-wrapped, but then it’s a hulking beast that I’ve seen many reconstructions of. One can still appreciate the many fine details in the skull, the faithfully produced limb proportions (even if it’d definitely be a biped these days), and subtleties such as the toes spreading and compressing under the animal’s weight. Riojasaurus is one of those dinosaurs that popped up in a lot of books back when, but doesn’t seem to appear very much these days. I do remember it always being reconstructed as really skinny, so Zallinger’s version is probably not all that unusual. There was also that one that appeared in Dinosaurs! that looked a bit like a toy. Proper sauropods are surprisingly under-represented in this book, being basically limited to a rather boring Brachiosaurus (with mostly hypothetical Supersaurus -as-a-brachiosaur and U L T R A S A U R O S skeletons behind it), and the above scene depicting a herd of Apatosaurus (or is it Brontosaurus ?). Zallinger’s typical anatomical rigour seems to desert him somewhat here, as these Brontosaurus (or are they Apatosaurus ?) have rather slimline necks, more reminiscent of Diplodocus. Of course, this has been a typical mistake across all palaeoart since time immemorial, with exceptions actually being more notable (such as Kish’s unfortunately otherwise shrinkwrapped brontos). In fact, given how slimline these beasts are generally, it seems a bit odd that they weren’t just given the label Diplodocus . Oh well, never mind – check out those cool colours! On the heads, that is, which are blue with an orange band behind, a pleasing hypothetical display feature and deviation from the tired ‘sauropods were brown/grey’ trope. I’m also very fond of the differing colours of the juveniles, and the fact that all the animals have honest-to-goodness scaly skin. No pachyderm wrinkles in sight! Very well done, there. And speaking of jobs well done, I’m very fond of Zallinger’s Heterodontosaurus . In spite of perhaps being a little under-muscled, it just all seems to come together nicely as a convincing creature; it’s well-proportioned, with a rounded herbivorous belly, and there isn’t any undue emphasis on the animal’s unusual dentition (even if its mouth is wide open). The suitably staring, glassy eye conveys a great deal of character – in fact, Zallinger does seem to be especially good at eyes, an oft-overlooked aspect in making an extinct creature really appear alive. Should it have cheeks? Maybe. Maybe not. Lesothosaurus, meanwhile, is green – as it so often is. (Really – go and run a Google image search.) But hey, it’s very pleasing for the time, too. Note the ‘angry eyebrows’ and subtle details of the feet, in particular. I’m always about the feet. It’s also interesting that Zallinger’s Lesothosaurus only has a beak-like tip to its lower jaw, unlike some reconstructions that give it keratinous tips on both jaws, and others that don’t give it any. As far as I’m aware, all reconstructions are possible as the animal’s jaw tips aren’t known, but do drop a comment if you know any better. [UPDATE – Albert knew better – see comments.] This Dryosaurus, featured on the opposite page, is also commendably well-proportioned – some decent reference material must have been available here. The neck appears a little short and chunky at first glance, but this can probably be attributed to foreshortening. The limbs may be stick-thin (yet again), but at least there’s plenty of room for its innards. It’s a great piece, but why did the animal have to be tan-with-green-stripes? Why, Peter, why? Naturaly, as the Late Cretaceous rolls in, tan-with-green-stripes iguanodonts make way for tan-with-green-stripes hadrosaurs, and, yes, they look a bit starving. On the other hand, these are beautifully well-observed reconstructions for 1986, particularly in details of the hands, which are uncommonly accurate for the time (remember, we were still getting very upright, gangly dork hadrosaurs waving their upsettingly humanoid hands around in other books). Only Saurolophus looks a bit suspect. Actually, there’s something about its skulking, hunched-over pose and sideways movement that reminds me of a gull making off with a plastic bag that might contain some fatty morsel. (Or maybe I was in lockdown at the seaside for too long.) Corythosaurus does also look like it might have a bit of an extend-o-neck going on, but otherwise, these are all very admirable. That background, too, is lovely. It’s almost a shame that it’s deliberately faded to draw attention to the animals – Pine Tree Creek looks like it’d make a stunning backdrop for some sexy dinosaur action. Moving now to animals of a spikier persuasion, here’s an exceptionally good Scelidosaurus for the time (subsequent discoveries/publications have revealed that the animal’s legs were rather shorter and it had different armour patterns). Unusually among the reconstructions in this book, this is a hefty-looking creature with a suitably wide stance and fat tail, and this is shown off nicely by the choice of perspective (which also neatly parallels its distant later relative Stegosaurus , below). The attention to detail in the skin folds and wrinkles is particularly good here. As mentioned, Stegosaurus is shown in a similar pose, although as it’s given a whole spread to luxuriate over we’re also treated to a not-quite- lateral view as well. Note the typically orange-ish plates and green body (although there are some tan parts, too – gotta have those). Peculiarly, the individual over on the left is given four pairs of tail spikes, reminiscent of earlier reconstructions of S. ungulatus – an idea I thought had pretty much been binned by this time (although not necessarily by everyone, I suppose). Given that the animal on the left only has two pairs, it may be that this image is intended to be a comparison of sorts between S. ungulatus and S. stenops , although this isn’t made explicit in the text. (I’m left wondering how many of the book’s younger readers noticed this discrepancy…) Here, the tendency of Zallinger to make his dinosaurs rather skinny actually works in his favour, and these stegosaurs are strikingly ‘modern’- looking when compared with some contemporary art. While they do have deep bodies (ain’t no cheatin’ those proportions), they hold their heads and tails well clear of the ground. And finally…ankylosaurs! Oh, yes – there’s that short-tailed Scolosaurus again. It’s still weird not to see it flattened to the ground like a big armoured slug, as in the model last seen lurking in Paradise Park in Niels’ post back in January. I like how it’s positioned to brandish its truncated tail at us for maximum effect. Seriously, though, the fine scaly details on both it and Ankylosaurus are bloody lovely. Scolosaurus has hips that are perhaps a little narrow, but at least Ankylosaurus looks like the kind of thing you wouldn’t want to meet while driving down a narrow country lane (just imagine – it’d scratch all your paint up and take your door mirror off). Acanthopolis is the odd one out here, because in so many ways, it looks quite exactly like Neave Parker’s reconstruction from decades prior – non-Peter-Zallingerian dragging tail and all. To be fair, the animal was and is very poorly known, but he might at least have given it a tail lift. There’s also a real preponderance of brown here, but hey, ankylosaurs gotta brown. Next time: BIRDS! And maybe some non-dinosaurs. If there’s any demand for it. Vintage Dinosaur Art: Dinosaurs and Other Archosaurs – Part 3. It’s time for one last outing with Peter Zallinger’s tan-and-green creations (see parts 1 and 2), only this time, we’re entering the Cenozoic! Although not right away. There are some heretofore unseen ceratopsians that deserve a look, first. Triceratops , being the ceratopsian rock star that it is, gets an entire page to itself. This is one of my favourite illustrations in the book – not only is it superbly detailed, in every aspect from the animal’s scaly skin folds to the surrounding environment, but it effectively conveys just how huge and imposing Triceratops would have been. Its huge bulk completely dominates the frame, with the animal presented from what would more-or-less be a human’s eye view; it reminds me of encountering a life-sized model in a certain Dutch zoo back in 2011. Given its tendency to be placed in images alongside the equally huge Tyrannosaurus , it’s easy to forget just how massive Triceratops was. It may not be doing anything particularly dynamic here, but in effectively giving us a sense of scale and placing the animal in a confrontational stance, Zallinger gives a vivid impression of this intimidating animal. We’re treated to three other ceratopsians on the opposite page, including Monoclonius (a name that, as a kid, I only knew from a blue Dino Riders /Smithsonian toy), although surprisingly not Styracosaurus . They’re all green-and-tan or tan-and-green, which is dead boring, but never mind. At least Protoceratops is stripy and not completely drab, as it tends to be. Monoclonius , meanwhile, looks rather like it might actually be known as Centrosaurus apertus these days, with the head based on a skull in the AMNH. The skull in question is rather squashed, which Zallinger hasn’t quite fully corrected for here. Still very pretty, mind. By popular demand (one comment), I thought I’d include some non-dinosaurian archosaurs in this post. Hooray for the Other Archosaurs! Here we have Pteranodon in a rather unusual white colour (it may have been modeled on a pelican) and depicted in a rather pleasing head-on view, and an early-ish attempt at Quetzalcoatlus . By this time, our modern-day image of the animal had pretty much taken shape – long neck, big head, toothless beak – and this is certainly no pin-headed nightmare demon. It still does look a little strange, mind you, the individual in the foreground especially. It’s notably missing the head nubbin that other artists (most famously, Sibbick) endowed it with around this time – I’m wondering if it might be a little too early for that. Being as dominated by dinosaurs as it is, this book doesn’t pay a great amount of attention to croc-line archosaurs, although a few do pop up early on, Geosaurus makes an appearance, and we do at least get this lovely illustration of Leidyosuchus , although I believe the species depicted here (long-snouted) has been reassigned to the genus Borealosuchus . Those poor crocodylians and their under-appreciated diversity. Regardless, Zallinger makes fantastic work of the animal’s scales and scutes, and decks it out in a fabulous (and, for this book, unusually imaginative) white- and-brown colour scheme. It’s crying out to be turned into a model (which I’d be prepared to throw far too much money at). Deinosuchus ‘ very hypothetical skull pops up, too, the inspiration behind countless dinosaur-chomping absolutely awesomebro palaeoart pieces. Sadly, now that it turns out that it had a big bulbous clown nose, it’s lost 100 cool points in Kiddy Palaeofan Top Trumps. On to those Cenozoic birds I promised, now (at last), and naturally the first to appear is Gastornis , here still going by the name Diatryma – which is a much cooler-sounding name if you ask me, although that may only be because the former reminds me of the name ‘Gaston’ (which is the point). “No one fights like Gastornis , no one bits like Gastornis “…etc. Rather like Greg Paul, and rather unlike most everyone else, Zallinger applies the super-slimline aesthetic associated with the Dinosaur Renaissance to his (extinct) Cenozoic birds as well; the result is a Gastornis with unusually body-hugging plumage. The pendulous wattle-thing on the neck is also unusual, and again quite Paulian. Of course, one must acknowledge that one reason this reconstruction is so distinctive is that Zallinger hasn’t simply copied Knight or Burian, as so many others did. Speaking of junior synonyms, here’s “ Phororhacos “, or Phorusrhacos as it’s now known. This piece makes much of the animal’s links with the modern-day seriema (genus Cariama ), to the point of almost making it a scaled-up version of that bird, although with simplified plumage. I’m not really fond of that trope, but at least this illustration emphasises the huge size of the terror bird, as seriemas are not small birds. It’s worth mentioning that while seriemas and phorusrhacids are still thought to be related, the phylogeny mentioned here has otherwise been ditched (see also: Gastornis being related to rails). And finally…modern birds! I don’t have too much to say on these, other than the illustrations are really very lovely, and beautifully presented on the page. Behold the living dinosaurs in all their glory! But aren’t we missing some? Worry not – palaeognaths are given their own spread, with ghostly moa and elephant bird skeletons thrown in. I especially love the tiny tinamous thrown in in the lower right hand corner. As an aside, Zallinger (writing in 1986) notes that many scientists “doubt that ratites share a common ancestor”, a question that naturally appeared in many books I read as a kid – I was actually quite blown away when molecular studies confirmed that, in fact, they did . (Of course, everyone knows that it’s possible to spit in the face of DNA evidence if you dick around in Photoshop for long enough and build some sort of phylogenetic fantasy simulator.) And that’s enough Peter Zallinger for now. Time to get onto some of the other stuff I have hanging around here… Vintage Dinosaur Art: Dinosaurs and Other Archosaurs – Part 1. Following on from Ranger Rick’s , here’s another more detailed look at a book that received some very brief attention long, long ago (2010). Why, it’s Dinosaurs and Other Archosaurs , written and illustrated by Peter Zallinger and published by Random House in 1986 (the year before I was born, incidentally). Once again, you can thank/blame Herman Diaz, who sent this book all the way over from the US. Cheers, Herman! Ten years ago, David noted that Zallinger’s work here “reflect[s] the ideas of the dinosaur renaissance in general while staying away from radical conjectures”. Which is about right, although I will add that the reconstructions are very Dino Renaissance, in that they reflect a more modern and rigorous approach to anatomy, but also often go a little far in making dinosaurs leaner, meaner, leaner and leaner. While not reaching Kishian (or even Stoutian) levels of distressing emaciated skininess, these are creatures that still often look under-muscled, underweight and lacking in the seemingly superfluous flappy and wobbly bits that make modern animals such a delight to behold. And yet, this remains exceptional work for 1986. This book was published just a year after the Normanpedia, with its fantastically realised and memorable, but also instantly dated illustrations. When compared with that – and much else around at the time – the palaeoart here is far closer to what we’d expect to see today. Before I go any further, I’d just like to wish Ashley a happy 35th birthday for the 25th. And now, some theropods! The best dinosaurs. (I’ll be getting back to the cover.) Traditionally, theropods had been filed under Coelurosauria if they were small, and Carnosauria if they were large. There was some suspicion by 1986 that this was perhaps a little too convenient, but the idea persists here. We’re also on the very cusp of Teratosaurus definitively being shown to have been a rauisuchid; this book must be one of the very last examples of it being depicted as a dinosaur. Otherwise, both the Coelophysis and Procompsognathus are great for the time, if rather under-muscled, with a wonderful birdlike poise and glassy eyeballs. I also really like the lush vegetation behind them, although it’s strange than seemingly every animal in this environment has evolved the same tan-with-green-stripes skin pattern… Zallinger takes a pleasingly chronological approach in this book, and so soon we’re up to the Late Jurassic, and the image that stretches over the book’s covers. Here, a pair of Allosaurus menace Camptosaurus while Stegosaurus looks on disapprovingly, and the foreground features European animals (don’t worry, the caption mentions this). The allosaurs are suitably dynamic, although their heads are a little shrink-wrapped, while Stegosaurus ‘ beak resembles a drooping upper lip that unfortunately reminds me of Michael Gove (for the benefit of non-British readers, he’s the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster). Still, credit where it’s due for drawing Stegosaurus from such a tricky angle, and in a very forward-thinking fashion for 1986. For my money, Archaeopteryx is where it’s at. Zallinger reconstructs the animal in a radically different fashion to that which was typical at the time – for one thing, it’s resolutely not depicted perching in a tree (or on a fern) with its rainbow sparkling wings outstretched. Instead, it’s shown with its (brown) wings folded, standing around (and running) on the ground. Remarkable! I mean, how are we supposed to know it’s a bird unless it sits screaming at us with its wings outstretched, as birds are routinely known to do? Think it through, Zallinger, man. Seriously, though, I think Zallinger’s reconstructions of Archaeopteryx in this book are quite wonderful for the time – they really resemble modern depictions of feathered dinosaurs. They’re also the only dinosaurs here that aren’t tan with green stripes. I’m starting to see a trend… Ornitholestes (tan with green stripes) pops up too, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s not after Archaeopteryx for once! Rather, it’s Compsognathus ‘ (green with tan stripes) turn to panic. A few things to note: while the animals again appear rather thin, there’s enough life in their eyes alone to make them convincing as living creatures. Zallinger once again pulls off some tricky perspectives, and the animals’ anatomy shows off careful attention to various details, not least the specific form of the animals’ hands. You can really see the results of John Ostrom’s involvement, and no, not just because Compsognathus has two fingers on each hand. That said, a more idiosyncratic Ostrom idea is hinted at here, namely that Archaeopteryx used its wings as a net to ensnare insects, running them down and flapping away like a maniacal Animal Crossing villager. I believe Ostrom ditched the idea at some stage, and it isn’t explicitly portrayed here, but this illustration certainly looks like an allusion to it. Whatever the case, this is another uncommonly good Archaeopteryx from Zallinger that manages to avoid all the usual tropes associated with the animal in art (including ‘wings with hands’). There’s also an excellent sense of scale in this piece, not only in the fantastic detailing on both Archaeopteryx and the insects, but in the impressionistic ‘out of focus’ background. And Archaeopteryx doesn’t have a lizard face! Hooray. To the Cretaceous now, and possibly the only depiction of short-tailed, spike-clubbed Scolosaurus I’ve ever seen that isn’t flattened to the ground! (That life-sized model that pops up in attractions around the world doesn’t help.) What’s more, the other animals depicted here lived in about the same time and place; Rexy isn’t shoehorned in because, well, you’ve got to have him. Rather, Gorgosaurus appears instead, doing a high kick and smiling winningly as forgotten ’80s staple Monoclonius prepares to stab it in the belly. All the creatures in this forest clearing are good looking in a green-stripes-on-tan sort of way, with well-referenced anatomy and lively, active postures. I can’t decide if the backdrop is pleasingly Raymond Briggsish, or a little too flat, like a theatre background. Let me know what you think. Although Dromaeosaurus appears in a couple of scenes, it’s Deinonychus that gets a spread to itself; unsurprising given Ostrom’s involvement, and quite right, too. Curiously, while Zallinger gives the animal huge thighs, its drumsticks are rather weedy-looking. You’d feel short-changed if these things were marinaded and served up to you in a bowl. Still, very good overall. The best dromaeosaurs from the ’80s and ’90s look distinctly ‘plucked’ (Greg Paul’s aside, which were actually feathered), and that’s definitely the case here. They’re even depicted attacking an animal that they stand a decent chance of bringing down. Now, while dromaeosaurs are very cool, ornithomimosaurs are mostly a bit dull. Just take an ostrich, add a long tail, remove the feathers, stick the feathers back on again some decades later, and there you go. There’s Deinocheirus , of course, but if ever an exception proved a rule, then Megaterrible Gigahands is it . I already skipped a Struthiomimus earlier in this book, but thought I’d better include this pair. They’re perfectly good, green-on-tan ornithimomisaurs with well-proportioned arms and hands (not always a given) and a suitably alert look. Yes yes, very nice. Lovely foliage as ever, too. There was an occasional tendency in the ’80s and ’90s to make troodontids appear utterly terrifying, like dromaeosaurs’ bug-eyed, super-smart cousins, threatening to evolve into a humanoid reptilo-man at any moment. This was typically achieved by giving them the aforementioned bulging eyes, often with gecko-like slit pupils, alongside long, probing fingers. This Saurornithoides is actually significantly less freakish than many, and reflects the birdlike anatomy of troodontids quite accurately. There’s something very, very off-putting about those exaggeratedly huge eyes, though. I think it’s literally a matter of perspective. We’re essentially given a Zalambdalestes -eye view, from which the relatively small dinosaur towers above us, its saucer-like red eyes piercing through the gloom as its spear-like clawed fingers are thrust towards us. The rest of the animal is dark. One gets the impression that there’s no escaping the dinosaur’s unblinking, ever-present, entirely indifferent gaze. You can run, but you can’t hide. Really, it’s very effective. So scary is the Sauronithoides image, Rexy (the grand prize fighter of antiquity and all that) actually looks rather friendly by comparison. I suppose the flat, bright lighting and rather diagrammatic lateral view help. Although the neck and legs are, predictably, a bit weedy, there’s plenty to like here – the animal is shown horizontal-backed, with well-proportioned and positioned limbs, a muscular tail and a decent head that doesn’t exaggerate anything. As I’ve gone all this time without mentioning it, I will say that the scalation is very well executed, too – the scales are tiny and only really visible on close inspection, which is how it should be (mostly). And, oh look, there’s Deinocheirus (just the arms, obviously). And finally…birds! Oh yes – Ostrom famously resurrected the bird-dinosaur link, and Zallinger even includes Cenozoic birds in this book. But more on those another time. I hadn’t heard of the ‘odontognathae’ before this, although I suspected it was a long-discarded paraphyletic grouping, which would appear to be the case. Hesperornis sports rather dandy plumage here, which appears to be based on one or two living birds, although I can’t quite place them (help please!). Ichthynornis has gull-like colours but, you know, that’s fine. That fish looks terrified. Peter Zallinger. Hardcover. Condition: GOOD. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Dinosaurs (Pictureback(R)) Zallinger, Peter. Published by Random House Books for Young Readers, 1977. Used - Softcover Condition: Fair. Paperback. Condition: Fair. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Prehistoric Animals (Pictureback(R)) Zallinger, Peter. Published by Random House Books for Young Readers, 1981. Used - Softcover Condition: Fair. Paperback. Condition: Fair. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Dinosaurs and Other Archosaurs (Random House Lib Knowledge(TM)) Peter Zallinger. Published by Random House Books for Young Readers, 1986. Used - Softcover Condition: GOOD. Paperback. Condition: GOOD. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Dinosaurs (Pictureback(R)) Peter Zallinger. Published by Random House Books for Young Rea, 1977. Used - Softcover Condition: Good. Paperback. Condition: Good. Book shows common (average) signs of wear and use. Binding is still tight. Covers are intact but may be repaired. We have 500,000 books to choose from -- Ship within 24 hours -- Satisfaction Guaranteed!. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Dinosaurs and Other Archosaurs (Random House Lib Knowledge(TM)) Peter Zallinger. Published by Random House Books for Young Readers, 1986. Used - Hardcover Condition: GOOD. Hardcover. Condition: GOOD. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Dinosaurs. Peter Zallinger. Published by Random House, New York, 1977. Used - Softcover Condition: VG / wraps later printing. Paperback. Condition: VG / wraps later printing. Illustrated 'Please Read To Me' edition. PREHISTORIC ANIMALS. Zallinger, Peter. Published by Random House, New York, NY, U.S.A., 1978. Used - Softcover Condition: Good. Soft cover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Peter Zallinger (illustrator). Book Club Edition. Color illustration on cover. Color illustrations. Pen marks on inside of front cover and on fep. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Dinosaures. Peter Zallinger. Published by Various Trade. Used - Softcover Condition: Good. Condition: Good. 0th Edition. Ships from the UK. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals (Kingfisher library of knowledge) Zallinger, Peter. Published by KINGFISHER BOOKS LTD, 1986. Used - Hardcover Condition: Very Good. Condition: Very Good. 1584883875. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Dinosaurier und andere Tiere der Vorzeit. geschrieben u. ill. von. [Aus d. Amerikan. von Simone Wiemken] / Tessloffs Jugendbibliothek in Farbe. Zallinger, Peter: Published by Hamburg : Tessloff,, 1987. Used - Softcover Condition: Gut. Pp. Condition: Gut. 96 S. : zahlr. Ill. (z.T. farb.), Kt. ; 29 cm Gut erhaltenes Buch, Einband mit Gebrauchsspuren, 20211 ISBN 9783788605469 Sprache: Deutsch Gewicht in Gramm: 758. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. This World of Wonder. Borland, Hal. Published by Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1973. Used - Hardcover Condition: Very Good. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Peter Zallinger (illustrator). B&W illustrations by Peter Zallinger. Like new in unclipped dust jacket. Record # 501476. Paper Hornets. Ross E. Hutchins. Published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company Inc., Reading, Massachusetts, 1973. Used - Hardcover Condition: Very Good+ Cloth. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. Peter Zallinger (illustrator). First Printing. Vivid pictorial boards feaure a Hornet and its nest on the front cover. Miniscule edge wear. Binding and text block secure. Pages unmarked excxept foe a lightly penculled price on the ffep.The unclipped matching dust jacket, now in mylar, is bright and whole, showing bare edge wear. A very nice copy. Everything you want to know about paper hornets, geared towards a younger (ages 9 to 12) audience. Numerous color illustrations. Size: 8vo - over 7�" - 9�" tall. Trade. Prehistoric Animals. Zallinger, Peter. Published by Random House, New York, 1978. Used - Softcover. 8�, Paperback, o. S., gelesenes Exemplar, Namenseitrag vorne, stabil. Les dinosaures. Zallinger, Peter. Used - Hardcover Condition: Used; Very Good. Condition: Used; Very Good. Hachette Litt�rature, Cartonn�, 1990 Exp�dition par librairie parisienne avec emballage protecteur dans les 24h suivant votre commande. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. The Cloud Forest: A Chronicle of the South American Wilderness. Matthiessen, Peter. Published by Viking Press, New York, 1961. Used - Hardcover Condition: Very Good + Hardcover. Condition: Very Good +. Dust Jacket Condition: Good +. two sections of b/w photographs bound into text. Maps of South America and Middle Peru on end papers. Jacket design by Jean Zallinger. (illustrator). 1st Edition. 8 vo, 280 pp inc Index. Condition: Black cloth, light fading to bottom edges. Interior clean, no marks or names. Three of four corners are square; binding is square and firm. End papers clean, small gold sticker from "Phillips Book Store, Bozeman, Montana" is near spine inside back cover. Jacket is not price clipped ($6.50), is quite worn at top of spine and a few inches along back cover. Roger Tory Peterson's blurb on back panel. Dinosaurier und andere Tiere der Vorzeit. Zallinger, Peter. Published by Tessloff Verlag, 1987. gr8�, Pappe ohne Schutzumschlag 96 Seiten geringe Gebrauchsspuren am Einband und Block Block sauber und fest ISBN: 9783788605464 R�cken und Ecken leicht besto�en Name im Vorsatz Deutsch 300g. Abenteuer Urzeit. Vom Saurier bis zum H�hlenmenschen. Tatsachen, Bilder, Entdeckungen/ Dinosaurier und andere Tiere der Vorzeit/ Mein grosses Buch �ber die Urzeit der Erde. 3 B�nde. Dixon, Dougal/ Matthews, Rupert/ Zallinger, Peter. Naumann & G�bel/ Neuer Kaiser Verlag, Hamburg/ Klagenfurt, 1986/ 1990/ 1992. 127/ 96/ 79 S. mit vielen Illustrationen, illustrierte Pappeinb�nde, quart---- Dazu: Haie und andere Ungeheuer des Meeres. J�ger der Ozeane von der Qualle bis zum Wal verfasst von Philip Steele und illustriert von Martin Camm (zusammen 4 B�nde) - 2755 Gramm. Dinosaurier und andere Tiere der Vorzeit. Zallinger, Peter. Published by N�rnberg, Tessloff Verlag,, 1987. Used - Softcover. kartoniert. 4�, 96 S., mit zahlreichen farb. Zeichnungen, min. Gebr.sp., The Cloud Forest - A Chronicle of the South American Wilderness (Signed) Matthiessen, Peter. Published by Viking Press, New York, 1961. First Edition Signed. Used - Hardcover Condition: Fine. Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Jacket Design - Jean Zallinger (illustrator). 1st Edition. First US edition, first printing of the author's 5th book (second non-fiction book). A fine book, lightly tanned to the top edge of the textblock, in a very good plus price- clipped dustjacket with very light edge wear (rubbing) at the spine tips and toning to the spine and some darkening to the edges and folds. Signed, in my presence, by the author on the full title page (signature only). Photos on request. Signed by Author(s). The Cloud Forest - A Chronicle of the South American Wilderness (Review Copy with Signed Bookplate) Matthiessen, Peter. Published by Viking Press, New York, 1961. First Edition Signed. Used - Hardcover Condition: Fine. Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Jacket Design - Jean Zallinger (illustrator). 1st Edition. First US edition, first printing. A fine book (crisp, clean, indeed 'as new') in a fine dustjacket with a white patch (sticker removal pull) on the lower spine, just above the publisher's name - "Viking". Fortunately, the color of the patch is the same as that of the book's title on the spine, and a case could be made that the small 'blemish' could be an attractive abstract design - not nearly as objectionable, esthetically, as it could be.(Photos cheerfully supplied on request!). The jacket is otherwise fine: unfaded (not even the spine - I have never seen another copy that was not discolored at the spine!), uncreased, unclipped, with no (other) visible wear. This is also a review copy (most uncommon as such), with the publisher's review slip laid in. The author's signature, on a very attractive bookplate, is laid in as well. Signed by Author(s). Tell us what you're looking for and once a match is found, we'll inform you by e-mail. Can't remember the title or the author of a book? 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