Very little has been published on the dinosaurs of Australasia: this is the most definitive, up-to-date reference on Australia's and New Zealand's Mesozoic animals, including the dinosaurs. The book provides details about each animal's discovery, some technical detail, description of where and how their names were derived, and how each animal is placed in relation to other members of the same group or family. Illustrations by Peter Schouten and Tony Windberg, among others, accompany those of the author, whose earlier illustrations in The Rise of the Fishes were widely acclaimed.