Overview

Discover the untold story of Kansas paleontologist Marion Charles Bonner, as told through the eyes of his daughter in Old Man of the Fossil Beds. From the dusty plains of western Kansas to the bustling halls of North American museums, Bonner's legacy stretches far beyond his groundbreaking discoveries of prehistoric marine animals. But it was his unconventional ways and larger-than-life personality that truly left a mark on those who knew him. As Bonner's family of eight navigates the challenges of farming, the war years, and the unpredictable forces of nature, his passion for paleontology only grows stronger. Following the example of his mentor, George F. Sternberg, he unearths incredible fossils from the chalk beds of western Kansas, including plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, fish of all sizes, sharks, and even pteranodons. Full of heart, humor, and raw emotion, Old Man of the Fossil Beds is a gripping tale of one man's insatiable thirst for knowledge, and the enduring love of a family that stood by him through it all. Like unearthing a rare, buried fossil, this book brings to light an obscure area of the country, a hitherto unknown Kansas character, and a fossil-huhting family's way of life.

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9798993053103

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Reviews

Old Man of the Fossil Beds is part memoir, part history of paleontology. Melanie Bonner Thomas takes you inside the first family of fossil collecting on the twentieth- century High Plains of Kansas. Check it out before your next trip to the chalk beds or local museum. You'll come away with a new appreciation for one man's obsession with big Cretaceous fossils, from mosasaurs to pterosaurs, and what it took to collect them. -Rex Buchanan, Director Emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey, editor of Kansas Geology, co-author of Roadside Kansas: A Traveler's Guide to Its Geology and Landmarks Melanie Bonner Thomas invites readers into her loving and exotic family circle as she describes her father's career as a prehistoric bone collector in western Kansas. Memoir, history, travelogue, and paleontology blend together seamlessly in this love song to the High Plains, yes, reminiscent of Mari Sandoz as well as William Stafford, Willa Cather, and other great writers of the region. -Denise Low, former Kansas Poet Laureate, author of House of Grace, House of Blood (University of Arizona Press)

Old Man of the Fossil Beds is part memoir, part history of paleontology. Melanie Bonner Thomas takes you inside the first family of fossil collecting on the twentieth- century High Plains of Kansas. Check it out before your next trip to the chalk beds or local museum. You'll come away with a new appreciation for one man's obsession with big Cretaceous fossils, from mosasaurs to pterosaurs, and what it took to collect them. -Rex Buchanan, Director Emeritus of the KansasGeological Survey, editor of Kansas Geology, co-author of Roadside Kansas: A Traveler's Guide to Its Geology and Landmarks Melanie Bonner Thomas invites readers into her loving and exotic family circle as she describes her father's career as a prehistoric bone collector in western Kansas. Memoir, history, travelogue, and paleontology blend together seamlessly in this love song to the High Plains, yes, reminiscent of Mari Sandoz as well as William Stafford, Willa Cather, and other great writers of the region. -Denise Low, former Kansas Poet Laureate, author of House of Grace, House of Blood (University of Arizona Press)

Author Information

A western Kansas native, Melanie Bonner Thomas is the youngest child of paleontologist Marion Bonner. She spent most of her career as an editor and writer in Austin, Texas, and currently lives in New Orleans. She has written articles on paleontology, archaeology, and history for Texas Monthly and Hispanic magazines.

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