The Dinosaur Artist by Paige Williams is an in-depth exploration of dinosaur bones; where they are typically found, how they’re formed, the best way to mount them, etc. Thankfully though, the book focuses more on the people behind the bones (or more accurately, fossils) rather than the dinosaurs themselves.
The ‘flaming cliffs’ of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, where many dinosaur fossils are found
Eric Prokopi is at the center of this ‘scandal’ that eventually lands him in prison. He is found guilty of selling fossils illegally, because they are sourced from Mongolia, where it is illegal to sell any bones from. Unfortunately for Prokopi, and many other commercial fossil collectors, the laws around collecting bones from various countries are extremely difficult to understand, or even find, so one can sympathize with Prokopi’s mistake. And sympathize I did, because Williams paints a wonderfully evocative picture of Eric and his family. His love of fossil hunting is infectious, and you can’t help but feel sorry for the guy when he gets caught up in the murky world of natural history auctions. We also learn that his mother was an active nudist, and although that is a random fact, it did (strangely) endear me to him even more.
Author Paige Williams. photo credit: Tracey Goggans
Prepare yourself for gaining some extensive background knowledge in order to properly understand the circumstances that lead up to Propoki’s story. We learn about the history of Mongolia, the history of fossil-finding in America and some general information on the different periods that lead to the various layers of fossils in the earth, among other things. The parts that referenced Propoki directly were by far my favourite, mainly because they were the easiest pages to understand. The back stories of many of the characters are really well done, and the people engaged in this international saga is what kept me reading. I did find myself getting bogged down in the various political histories that were detailed in many parts of this book; the details were just too tedious to really concentrate on what I was learning. I was tempted to skim a few pages, but in the end I didn’t because I hoped I would absorb some interesting facts I could later impress my friends and family with. I don’t think I did, but I’ll still hold out hope.
Eric Prokopi
So you can tell I’m conflicted about this book. History buffs may find the opposite to what I did-they would probably enjoy the contextual information offered up by Williams saying it’s just a small slice of what’s really required to fully understand the environment, but as an armchair historian I found it a little overwhelming. Still, the human stories behind the dinosaur digs are fascinating, especially because the people typically involved in this business tend to have colourful personalities. I can already think of a few people in my immediate circle who would jump at the chance to read this, so I think it’s all about matching the right reader with this book.
I read this one also. I think you pretty much felt the same: I really liked the adventure/ fossil hunting parts… but the history was a little dry at time.
glad I’m not the only one! Thanks for stopping by.
I remember reading this Smithsonian Magazine article about how there are so many dinosaur bones collected that there’s just piles of uncataloged fossils in the basement of their museum. There’s a place in Montana where they’re just ALL OVER. Isn’t that wild? I thought such samples were rare.
I know, there’s actually a place in Alberta that’s like that too. Like, literally you can go on walks and stumble over bones protruding from the ground-crazy! And this is why commercial fossil hunters feel justified in what they’re doing, because they argue that museums just store the bones in basements anyway, and it’s better for the overall public to have access to the bones in a bunch of different ways, including being able to buy them…
That’s a good point. According to Indiana Jones, the only way everyone will see the artifact is if it’s in a museum, though. 😂
Honestly, everything Harrison Ford says does make complete sense though
😂
It’s always a tricky balancing act with non-fiction – too little background and it can feel superficial, too much and it brings on an urgent desire for remedial chocolate! I don’t see why you’re taking advice from Harrison Ford though – surely Jeff Goldblum would be the go-to guy…
ha! yes ok good point, Jeff Goldblum is also a well-regarded and trustworthy source. And that’s a good point about non-fiction, which is probably why I don’t read much of it…