Barnum Brown: The Man Who Discovered Tyrannosaurus rex
From his stunning discovery of Tyrannosaurus rex one hundred years ago to the dozens of other important new dinosaur species he found, Barnum Brown led a remarkable life (1873-1963), spending most of it searching for fossils—and sometimes oil—in every corner of the globe. One of the most famous scientists in the world during the middle of the twentieth century, Brown—who lived fast, dressed to the nines, gambled, drank, smoked, and was known as a ladies' man—became as legendary as the...
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"Lowell Dingus and Mark Norell have produced a highly readable, comprehensive account of the life and scientific work of Barnum Brown, arguably the most intrepid and successful collector of dinosaurs and other prehistoric vertebrates ever. Their story goes beyond the sensationalism of earlier accounts to flesh out Brown as not only an intrepid explorer but an important contributor to American science."—Kevin Padian, University of California, Berkeley"In Barnum Brown an engrossing narrative and a treasury of firsthand field notes and letters combine to form a true epic: the life of a great paleontologist and an all-too-human, and therefore fascinating, man. Indispensable reading for anyone interested in fossils and the people who hunt them."—Michael Novacek, author of Terra"'The greatest dinosaur hunter of all time,' a fitting title for the man who shipped more than 1200 crates of fossilized bones to New York from far flung localities around the globe. In this superb, first-ever biography of Barnum Brown, Dingus and Norell paint a vivid portrait of an intrepid field worker, accomplished researcher, and popularizer of dinosaurs—a larger-than-life character who left a deep and indelible mark on the field of paleontology."—Scott D. Sampson, author of Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life"Without a doubt the most popular and well-known dinosaur in the world, Tyrannosaurus rex has inspired millions of people worldwide through fact and fiction. Similarly, just about every vertebrate palaeontologist has been affected by the amazing career of Barnum Brown. But there has never been a biography written by scientists . . . until now! Here at last is an intimate look at the man who discovered the beast and turned our imaginations loose."—Philip J. Currie, author of Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs Publishers Weekly American Museum of Natural History paleontologists Dingus and Norell recount the life of the legendary paleontologist who discovered the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex in Montana. The authors meticulously annotate many of the hundreds of finds Barnum Brown made over his lifetime. These descriptions take on a repetitive quality, but the other aspects of the business of fossil hunting will better hold the nonspecialist's attention. Brown's interactions with local cultures as he travels from the U.S. to India, Burma, Greece, Canada, and various countries within Africa on his expeditions, his relationships with other paleontologists, and the well-integrated story of his extracurricular life, which included a stint as a spy for the OSS, all contribute to a well documented whole. Brown's story is also the story of paleontology in the first half of the 20th century, and the authors capture the excitement of the ever-expanding knowledge as it is communicated among the field's leaders, as well as the controversies that inevitably followed. Dingus and Norell do justice to the unconventional, many-faceted if somewhat mysterious Brown, aptly named after showman P.T. Barnum and to his private and public personae. 44 b&w photos; 9 maps. (June)
Contents List of Illustrations Prologue: The Mindset of Barnum Brown1. Child of the Frontier (1873-1889) 2. Student . . . of Sorts (1889-1896) 3. Apprentice Extraordinaire (1896-1898) 4. To Land's End: Patagonia (1898-1900) 5. To the Depths of Hell Creek (1900-1903) 6. Love (1903-1906) 7. Loss (1906-1910) 8. The Canadian Dinosaur Bone Rush (1910-1916) 9. Cuba, Abyssinia, and Other Intrigues (1916-1921) 10. Jewels from the Orient: Raj India (1921-1923) 11. Perils and Pearls Up the Irrawaddy: Burma (1923) 12. Samos: Isle of Intrigue (1923-1925) 13. Ancient Americans Hunting Bison? Birds as Dinosaurs? (1925-1931) 14. Digging—and Flying—for Dinosaurs: Howe Quarry and the Aerial Survey of Western Fossil Beds (1931-1935) 15. Toward the Golden Years: The Mystery Track-Maker and the Glen Rose Trackway (1935-1942) 16. Brown as a Spy, Movie Consultant, and Showman at the World's Fair (1942-1963) Epilogue Appendix 1. List of Major Specimens Collected by Barnum Brown on Display in the AMNH Fossil Halls Appendix 2. Memoirs of Barnum Brown: Discovery, Excavation and Preparation of the Type Specimen Tyrannosaurus rex Appendix 3. Summary of Fossil Collections by Barnum Brown and His AMNH Crews Notes Bibliography Acknowledgments Index
\ Publishers WeeklyAmerican Museum of Natural History paleontologists Dingus and Norell recount the life of the legendary paleontologist who discovered the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex in Montana. The authors meticulously annotate many of the hundreds of finds Barnum Brown made over his lifetime. These descriptions take on a repetitive quality, but the other aspects of the business of fossil hunting will better hold the nonspecialist's attention. Brown's interactions with local cultures as he travels from the U.S. to India, Burma, Greece, Canada, and various countries within Africa on his expeditions, his relationships with other paleontologists, and the well-integrated story of his extracurricular life, which included a stint as a spy for the OSS, all contribute to a well documented whole. Brown's story is also the story of paleontology in the first half of the 20th century, and the authors capture the excitement of the ever-expanding knowledge as it is communicated among the field's leaders, as well as the controversies that inevitably followed. Dingus and Norell do justice to the unconventional, many-faceted if somewhat mysterious Brown, aptly named after showman P.T. Barnum and to his private and public personae. 44 b&w photos; 9 maps. (June)\ \
