Overview

The Shortest History of the Dinosaurs tells the 230-million-year epic of these staggeringly fascinating prehistoric creatures, covering their small beginnings, spectacular golden periods, and stunning evolutionary success—before an unthinkable asteroid event brought everything to a screeching halt. But this history digs deeper, using numerous recent fossil discoveries and fresh understandings of genetics and evolution to show how we’ve gleaned so much about a long-lost world from mere fragments of fossil. Marshaling the evidence, award-winning author Riley Black reveals the startling relationships that dinosaurs shared with one another, the land they lived on, and other animal species. By conjuring a more complete picture of Earth in the age of the dinosaurs, she shows us how these massive monsters owe their rise to luck as much as to their cunning—and the many surprising ways they left an indelible mark on their dramatically changing world. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.

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Reviews

""An entrancing primer. . . . Black has a knack for singling out the most surprising and engrossing findings of modern paleontology, bringing the ancient reptiles back to vivid life. The result is an excellent overview of the ever-evolving science on dinosaurs."" -- Publishers Weekly "" Praise for When the Earth Was Green ""Black masterfully uses science to breathe life into ancient worlds in which some of our favorite prehistoric animals lived. "" -- Science News ""Black’s creative writing style and vivid descriptions, paired with well-chosen scientific facts, transport readers to verdant, sometimes violent scenes from our planet’s past."" -- Booklist ""Black masterfully transforms 15 fossil sites into vibrant, living landscapes . . . an exercise in empathy that left me hopeful about humanity’s ability to consider other perspectives, whether those of ancient, exotic organisms or members of our own species."" -- Science Magazine ""Brilliant, brimming with insight, and boundlessly entertaining."" -- Jason Roberts, author of Every Living Thing and A Sense of the World ""Black is a poet of prehistory."" -- Sabrina Imbler, author of How Far the Light Reaches and staff writer at Defector ""An essential, extraordinary story."" -- Daniel Lewis, author of Twelve Trees, Dibner Senior Curator for the History of Science and Technology, Huntington Library ""What a beautiful book! I couldn’t put it down. Black has crafted a prose so vivid and precise that it feels more like watching a film."" -- Paco Calvo, author of Planta Sapiens "" Praise for The Last Days of the Dinosaurs Winner 2023 AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Writing ""Black blends the intricacies of science with masterful storytelling for a cracking, enchanting read. "" -- Newsweek ""This is top-drawer science writing."" -- Publishers Weekly, starred review ""Exquisitely written."" -- Booklist

Author Information

Riley Black is the award-winning author of more than ten books about fossils, evolution, and dinosaurs. Her latest, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, won the AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books, and her follow-up When the Earth Was Green will be published in 2025 by St. Martin’s Press. When not penning books, Riley regularly writes about fossils for a variety of publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian, Slate, and more, with repeated appearances on radio and television programs such as All Things Considered, Science Friday, and NOVA. She has also acted as a science advisor on dinosaur projects for the Jurassic World franchise, and has given talks about the latest in paleontology at venues ranging from Yale University and the Houston Museum of Natural Science to the Tucson Festival of Books. She lives in Utah.

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