The Book Depository Dinosaur Art: The World's Greatest Paleoart by Steve White
362 ratings
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Price: £24.99
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: Dinosaur Art: The World's Greatest Paleoart : Hardback : Titan Books Ltd : 9780857685841 : 0857685848 : 16 Jan 2014 : Suitable for dinosaur enthusiasts, art lovers and budding illustrators, this book is filled with artwork and paleontology. The Book Depository Dinosaur Art: The World's Greatest Paleoart by Steve White - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9780857685841
MPN: 0857685848
GTIN: 9780857685841
Author: Modernistocrat Horatio Alger
Rating: 5
Review: I am stunned at the quality of this book for the price. I'd gladly pay £40 or more for something of this solid quality AND in hardcover. The top names in modern palaeoart are involved, with hardly an omission- Csotonyi, Paul, Anton, Henderson, Marshall, Sibbick, Rey, Conway, Nicholls and Martin. WOW! Stunning full page and *multi-page foldout* (I hardly believed this when I saw it) colour images, using methods running the gamut from pencil to digital/composite photographs. Virtually every page explodes with colour, action, imagination and scientific rigour. This is modern, state-of-the-art palaeoart: based on the latest evidence, with some fossils portrayed juat a few years (or less) since discovery. If you're a palaeoart fan already, you'll recognise some recent classics here (but no oldies like Charles Knight) but also there is plenty of new art to keep you happy, or it was new to my eyes anyway. The text is minimal and focuses on the artist and their perspectives on the field/approach to palaeoart. Buy it, treasure it, cuddle it at night... it is just so great! And I think children would appreciate it almost as much as adults, so minimal ownership of 1 copy per family should be made a very strict law-- speak to your local MP please. Except for the prior sentence, there is no hyperbole in my review. This probably is the best palaeoart book I've ever seen, especially at this insane price, which seems like charity. Gorgeous, well presented, top quality stuff. If you've gotten this far in my review without purchasing this book, stop reading and do it!
Author: Nick Candoros
Rating: 3
Review: It seems awfully grumpy of me to give such a small grade, to a book that could have been a cherished dream come true. But to be honest, it was somewhat disappointing. Of course I fully understand the Editor's conundrum: how can you be certain of your choice of only eight (8) artists, specializing in the representation of lost prehistoric worlds? Do these eight really represent the cream of the crop? Are they universally acknowledged, by scientists and the general public as the "Greatest"? Well, there are of course no easy answers to all the above. In art, any art, choices are deeply personal - and Mr. White is just another person. Of course, when compiling such an anthology, you cannot ignore giants like Anton, Henderson, Sibbick or Martin. And Csotonyi (unknown to me) was a very pleasant surprise. But the remaining three did not really impress me. Perhaps I am more of a traditionalist and I cannot abide to representations of prehistoric animals, based more on an abundance of poetic license, taken by the artist, than solid scientific hypotheses about the said animals and their ecology. And brilliant colors or "heretic" views on the creatures' shape, movement and / or environment are, for me at least, a really poor substitute for great design (Sibbick, Martin), masterful anatomical and dynamic representations (Anton) or rigorous insight in the animals' total ecological environment (Henderson, Csotonyi). Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. And the fold-outs of my favorite artists were a marvel! Most of the material is really good "Dinosaur Art". Sometimes even great "Dinosaur Art". But certainly not "The Greatest".
