A middle-brow history of scholars, careerists and some very big lizards

books:

	• Terrible Lizard: The First Dinosaur Hunters and the Birth of a New Science Deborah Cadbury Holt Paperbacks, 2002 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Superb hisory writing

Over the past fifty years I have read several histories dealing with the early history of paleontology and geology. This is by far the most readable and interesting book on the subject that I have ever encountered. Instead of only relating the finds by well known early fossil collectors and moving in a progression from one to another, the author places them in the context of the history of the times and their relation to one another. It is a fascinating saga of people and their discoveries in an easy to read style with excellent documentation.
Anyone interested in the subject shoud not overlook this book!

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A middle-brow history of scholars, careerists and some very big lizards

This is the American edition of a book published in England in 2000 or 2001 simply as "The Dinosaur Hunters."

The book is a fairly straight-forward telling of an Anglo-centric version of the dawning of the notion early in the 19th Century that there had been a pre-Adamite world inhabited by large-scale beasts that would in the course of time come to be known as dinosaurs. All the usual British suspects are present:

~ Mary Anning, the self-taught woman with the wonderful eye for fossils who went out and retrieved those strange sea-beasts, the icthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, in return for little more than subsistence-level remuneration.

~ William Buckland, who obtained formal recognition (in England) of geology as an academic discipline.

~ Gideon Mantell, the provincial medico with a passion for geology and big, exotic, long-dead beasts.

~ Charles Lyell, whose magnum opus on geology would bear unexpected, long-term fruit, some of which he would find bitter.

~ Richard Owen, bright, clever, acquisitive, unforgiving, politically astute, scholarly star player who reached the heights and then had the misfortune to outlive his glory days.

~ And a couple of guys named Darwin and Huxley.

Such is the Anglo-centric nature of the narrative that the only really significant non-English character is the very, very French Baron Georges Cuvier, a truly international academic superstar. And even he is presented solely in the light of his (generally erroneous) interactions with the main British figures. So Anglo-centric is the author's account of the recognition of dinosaurs that only mid-way in the book, when Mary Anning finds a fine specimen of a pterodactyl, does Ms. Cadbury casually mention that the first specimen of this weird flying creature had been discovered in Bavaria--by an Italian, no less!--a full fifty years earlier and long-since described in print by Cuvier.

Over and above the story of scholars and collectors struggling to see the hitherto unseen and mightily wrestling with wretchedly inadequate and incomplete data to draw conclusions, some dead on and others dead wrong, Ms. Cadbury has seen fit to cast the book as a tale of rivalry, as a decades-long duel between that verray parfit gentil scholar, Gideon Mantell and that all-too successful academic bounder and social climber, Richard Owen. Well ... maybe. But the notion of life-long duel is a bit strained when one recollects that Owen died a full forty years after Mantell. On the other hand, Owen did get into undoubted, no holds barred conflict with a far more formidable controversialist and adversary, Thomas Huxley, Darwin's ferocious attack dog. The net effect of that series of combats was to dropkick Owen from star of scholarship to mere footnote, but Ms. Cadbury simply makes casual reference to their jousting.

This book is clearly intended as popular history and is resolutely non-rigorous in both text and citations. As such, it is successful enough within its own terms. For a reader who wants no more than a competently written narrative that introduces a handful of larger-than-life characters and a bit of scientific history, this will do as well as any and better than some.

Four stars.

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Could not put it down

Well, there was a lull in the first 1/3 of the book, but it picks up steam and towards the end I literally could not put it down. My wife had to keep reminding me that it was time to eat and to put that darned book away! Let me say that if the subject matter interests you, I cannot imagine a better written book. The strentghs are numerous. The book is dramatic, in it gets you to care about poor Gideon Mantell and, whilst showing all of Richard Owen's legendary near-evil personality, it does also show a more balanced view of this notorious figure in the history of biology/science. But the human touch is the key in both of these figures that the book points out. Another key is the easy, very vernacular language of the book. There is nothing technical and is very easy to read, even for early teens. Also, towards the end the book touches on Owens late battles with Huxley and Darwin. This is a fascinating section where we see the once invicible Owen finally meeting his match in Huxley and the battle that ensues. There is also in the space of about one page about the best, simplest summary of Evolution I've ever seen (and I've read the Origin of Species twice over). Highly, highly recommended. (for $3-$4 used, what are you waiting for??)

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Bones, blasphemies and bickering

The early years of 19th Century Britain brought shocks to society even more severe than the execution of monarchs and a global war. Scrabbling over cliffs and following the slashes in the land made for canals and railroads, people were discovering fossils. The transformed bones and shells of ancient creatures weren't new. They had been used as medicine and charms to ward off "evil spirits" for centuries. The new finds, however, were more perplexing. Large teeth and massive bones suggested that creatures of unimaginable scale had once inhabited the Earth. In Britain, two new sciences emerged around the novel discoveries - geology and paleontology. Cadbury traces these developments with an enthusiastic account of the people drawn to the new sciences.

After a diversion describing Mary Anning, a young villager who found fossils on coastal cliffs, Cadbury traces the thinking on what fossils implied. Biblical creation had already been challenged on many fronts, particularly among French scientists. The British finds launched a major challenge to standard views of Earth's history. Gideon Mantell, interested in the fossil ammonites at a young age, went on to carve a major life as a geologist. In early 19th Century Britain, paleontology had yet to break off from geology, although fossils were the key to relative placement in time. Cadbury describes how Mantell's love for fossils was given an unexpected boost by his "day job" as a doctor. Medicine laid a groundwork in anatomy which would prove beneficial in later years.

Mantell, through incredible adversity, persisted in amassing large fossil collections. Not only were the collections massive numerically, but some of the bones retrieved implied tremendous creatures. Cadbury does a fine job of explaining the impact these discoveries had on educated Britain. Christian theology remained the foundation for learning, and the fossils clearly challenged church dogma. British Christianity responded with the "Bridgewater Treatises" - an attempt to mortise Nature into theology. Darwin's insight was decades away, and Cadbury explains how this venture was but one of the various notions preceding natural selection. The "fossil" debates took place mostly in the academic arena. The growing scientific societies skirted the issue of divinity, but it was clear data was challenging dogma.

As Mantell's efforts continued, new figures emerged to investigate the puzzling artefacts. Among the students of ancient life, Richard Owen emerged as the champion of analysis. Owen, a domineering figure in Cadbury's account, rose rapidly in importance. He had no qualms about demolishing another's propositions, nor, indeed, their career. His stature in British scientific circles precluded effective challenges and Mantell became one of his chief victims. His final effort to destroy a career and an idea brought him against the giant of 19th Century British science - perhaps all science. He rejected Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Between the paucity of his ideas and the constant harassing of "Darwin's Bulldog", Thomas Huxley, Owens' career began to wane. Cadbury doesn't call for a period of mourning.

Cadbury's approach and writing style makes this book a delightful read. Although her science is lacking, her depiction of the chief personalities is excellent. A number of illustrations from the period enhances the text with a feeling of timeliness. The utter lack of citations, however, is unforgiveable. Having detailed many circumstances, Cadbury provides merely a "Notes and Sources" section without even page attribution.
[stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

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Entertaining and smart

I loved this book. It's mostly about Gideon Mantell, the guy who first recognized dinosaurs for (more or less) what they are; its setting lets it include information both about dinosaurs themselves, and the rise of the idea of evolution in the 19th century and the furor it caused. It's an entertaining read on top of that, so it has an awful lot going for it. The "villain," Richard Owen, is like the 19th-century version of David Attenborough except that Attenborough isn't a dick. The book isn't as much about the conflict between Mantell and Owen as it claims to be - Owen doesn't even show up until around halfway through - but the point is valid.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

In 1812, the skeleton of a monster was discovered beneath the cliffs of Dorset, setting in motion a collision between science and religion, and among scientists eager to claim supremacy in a brand-new field. For Reverend William Buckland, an eccentric naturalist at Oxford University, the fossil remains of a creature that existed before Noah's flood inspired an attempt to prove the accuracy of the biblical record. Novelist Gideon Mantell also became obsessed with the ancient past, and eminent anatomist Richard Owen soon entered the fray, claiming credit for the discovery of the dinosaurs.

In a fast-paced narrative, Terrible Lizard re-creates the bitter feud between Mantell and Owen. Revealing a strange, awesome prehistoric era, their struggle set the stage for Darwin's shattering theories -- and for controversies that still rage today.

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