Discusses the "first fossilists", an extraordinary group of individuals who first identified the dinosaurs and whose discoveries helped pave the way for Darwin, and the publication of On the Origin of Species
Christopher McGowan is Professor of Zoology at the University of Toronto and curator of vertebrate palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum.
"A most valuable guide to the mysteries of our own past. I warmly recommend it to all who wonder whence our modern world developed"
– John Fowles
"An informative and exciting account.there is an affecting lyrical beauty to McGowan's historical account"
– Los Angeles Times
"(McGowan) writes with livliness and immediacy. The excitement those early 'dragon seekers' must have felt when making a particularly significant discovery is well-conveyed."
– Irish Times