“Brown liked bonhomie, incurred woman trouble from time to time, and had a wife whose embellishments of life in the field enliven the biography. Named Lillian, she wasn’t there for Brown’s career-making discovery of T. rex in 1902, but her letter writing and published books about subsequent digs round out this biography and indicate the public interest in “Mr. Bones” during his lifetime. Dingus and Norell ably revive that in this gap-filling scientific biography.”
— College & Research Libraries News
“The definitive account of the life and times of a singular man and a superlative fossil hunter.”
“This absorbing biography also takes full measure of Brown's extensive scientific accomplishments, making it the definitive account of the life and times of a singular man and a superlative fossil hunter.”
“An extremely good book, a biography that manages to paint a very human portrait, while at the same time providing a detailed analysis of the critical part Brown played in the history of American vertebrate paleontology.”
“Comprehensive and enjoyable . . . A monumental amount of careful research, consultation with colleagues and source checking clearly went into this volume and it will stand forever as the definitive work on this most important character . . . Given Barnum Brown’s role in the discovery of so many dinosaurs, fossil mammals and other vertebrates—and remember that many of ‘his’ specimens are familiar ones that we have all encountered in research or on museum visits—learning more about their background, and that of the man behind their discovery and excavation, is sure to be rewarding. I highly recommend this book and congratulate the authors on a job spectacularly well done.”
“Lowell Dingus and Mark Norell detail Brown’s early field work in the American West, and the years spent traveling from one continent to the next multiplying his discoveries. Even the uninitiated who cannot pronounce let alone identify many of these finds will be enthralled by a career that began before motorized traffic took over from ox wagons, and ended as computers started to encroach. . . . This is a scholarly but very readable book. Brown emerges as a character one might enjoy sitting beside on a long airplane flight.”
“Occasionally, a biography strikes the perfect note . . . The authors’ use of research mixed with anecdotes makes the Brown story accessible, while also providing jumping off points for people interested in doing a little digging of their own. The exhaustive research pays off big for the reader, placing Barnum Brown in the upper ranks of well-written biographies.”
"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
