Visitors to the American Museum of Natural History's renovated vertebrate paleontology halls are in for an awe-inspiring treat. Featuring fossils of dinosaurs as well as mammals, amphibians, and other ancient creatures, these breathtaking new halls showcase more than eight hundred spectacular prehistoric fossil specimens and share the latest in scientific thinking regarding ancient life. Complete with interactive computer programs and new models that take full advantage of modern technology to depict dinosaurs and other ancient animals as they would have looked millions of years ago, the exhibition halls also display the Museum's best-known and most widely recognized fossil specimens, paying homage to the talent and devotion of the fossil hunters from the Museum's Department of Vertebrate Paleontology who have collected, assembled, and analyzed this world-renowned collection.Now, with The American Museum of Natural History's Book of Dinosaurs and Other Ancient Creatures, dinosaur lovers of all ages can take both an exciting behind-the-scenes look at the explorers who unearthed these intriguing fossils as well as an in-depth armchair tour of the animals on display in the Museum's fossil halls. This beautiful, full-color illustrated volume brings the world-famous Museum, its collectors, and its collection vividly to life.Brimming with offbeat tidbits and anecdotes about the fossil hunters and their discoveries, this insider's companion to the Museum includes profiles of such men as Henry Fairfield Osborn, the first curator of the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Museum; Barnum Brown, the Museum's premier fossil hunter for more than sixty years and the first to discover a specimen of the magnificent carnivore Tyrannosaurus rex; Charles Sternberg, who devoted his outwardly successful but personally troubled life to collecting dinosaur and other fossils; and Roy Chapman Andrews, who is said to be the real-life model for the movie character Indiana Jones and who made the world-famous discovery of the first dinosaur eggs.This volume also details the fascinating work that the Museum's modern-day scientists conduct both in New York City at the Museum and in the field. New discoveries about life on the planet during the dinosaurs' reign are being made regularly, and many of these new theories are discussed here. In fact, the illustrations presented throughout this volume reflect the latest in scientific thinking, showing animals in reconfigured postures, which adds greater insight into their eating and hunting habits as well as their evolutionary lineages.This fact-filled guidebook then moves on to profile the animals themselves. Presented as galleries of dinosaurs, mammals, and other ancient creatures, the entries combine informative and entertaining text detailing each specimen's discovery and describing its life on earth with an original full-color illustration, photograph, or line drawing.A must for dinosaur aficionados, The American Museum of Natural History's Book of Dinosaur and Other Ancient Creatures draws you in to the excitement of exploration and the anticipation of discovery that has always surrounded the field of vertebrate paleontology. Join the Museum's fossil hunters - both past and present - and take a thrilling journey through one of the world's most beloved institutions, stopping to examine some of the most phenomenal creatures ever to stalk the earth. Read Less