Cadbury re-creates the bitter feud between Gideon Mantell, a shoe-maker's son who uncovered dinosaur bones in a Sussex quarry, and Richard Owen, a brilliant anatomist who scooped the credit for the discovery of dinosaurs, which drove one of them to dispair and secured for the other unrivalled international acclaim. Their struggle was to create a new science that would forever change man's perception of his place in the universe and that brought to light a prehistoric era that was more strange and awesome than anyone could have imagined.
Deborah Cadbury is the award-winning TV science producer for the BBC, including Horizon for which she won an Emmy . She is also the highly-acclaimed author of 'The Seven Wonders of the Industrial World', 'The Feminisation of Nature', 'The Dinosaur Hunters', 'The Lost King of France' and 'Space Race'.
"No other narrative I know illustrates the human element in scientific discovery quite so dramatically."
- Evening Standard
"This is a tale of intrigue and deception, of burning ambition and failed dreams. The bitter clashes between the men who dominated 19th- century geology are exquisitely portrayed by Deborah Cadbury in this scholarly yet exhilarating book."
- Independent
"This is a story we should all know, a defining part of contemporary western culture. I can't think of a better introduction."
- Sunday Times
"This is a wonderful book, evoking a time when science required remarkable people to conduct it."
- Observer
"A marvellous read. Fresh insights and an artfully woven story made it hard to put down."
- Michael Benton, New Scientist