جستجوگران اژدها: چگونه یک دایره فوق‌العاده از فسیل‌شناسان دایناسورها را کشف کردند و راه را برای داروین هموار کردند

The dramatic story of how a group of 19th-century fossilists forever changed our view of history-and laid the groundwork for the Darwinian revolution. Set in nineteenth-century England, The Dragon Seekers chronicles the amazing discoveries of the first fossilists, whose findings in geology and paleontology led to the discovery of the age of dinosaurs. The intriguing cast of characters includes Mary Anning, a working-class woman who became one of the most successful fossil collectors of all time; Thomas Hawkins, another amateur collector who ''improved upon'' fossils in order to increase their market value; the eccentric William Buckland, discoverer of the world's first dinosaur (Megalosaurus), and Richard Owen, an expert anatomist, who synthesized the discoveries of the age and ultimately coined the word ''dinosaur'' in 1842. Christopher McGowan takes us back to a time when the new sciences of geology and paleontology were as young and vibrant as genetic engineering is today. Through heated public debates on everything from the age of the earth to the notion of extinction, the Dragon Seekers initiated the shift from a biblical to a scientific interpretation of the remote past. In this way, they laid the intellectual groundwork for Darwin's revolutionary ideas, and launched a global obsession with the Age of Reptiles that continues even today. Against The Backdrop Of The Industrial Revolution, An Extraordinary Circle Of Fossilists Struggled To Make Sense Of A Mysterious, Prehistoric World - A World They Had To Piece Together From The Fossilized And Often Fragmentary Remains Of Animals Never Before Seen. In This Transporting, Seamlessly Written Book, Christopher Mcgowan Takes Us Back To A Time When Geology And Paleontology Were As Young And Vibrant As Genetic Engineering Is Today. The Nineteenth-century Pioneers Of These New Disciplines Were An Eccentric Lot, From Different Social Classes And Sexes, With A Range Of Motivations In Fossil Hunting. These Dragon Seekers Sought To Persuade A Populace Raised On A Literal Interpretation Of Genesis That The Ground They Walked Was Once A Very Frightening And Unfamiliar Place. A Sweeping Narrative History, The Dragon Seekers Shows How These Remarkable Characters Forever Changed Our Interpretation Of The World And Its Inhabitants. -- From Back Cover. 1. In The Beginning -- 2. Dragons By The Sea -- 3. The Scriptures And The Rocks -- 4. Chalk Pits And Leeches -- 5. The World Of Darkness -- 6. Revelation -- 7. The Tooth Of The Iguana -- 8. Just Causes -- 9. More Giants -- 10. Improving On Nature -- 11. Mr. König Regrets -- 12. The Professor And The Naturalist -- 13. Landslides, Glaciers, And Riots -- 14. Of Dinosaurs And Species -- 15. Decline And Fall -- 16. Beside The Sea. Christopher Mcgowan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 219-240) And Index.

Against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution, an extraordinary circle of fossilists struggled to make sense of a mysterious, prehistoric world--a world they had to piece together from the fossilized and often fragmentary remains of animals never before seen. In this transporting, seamlessly written book, Christopher McGowan takes us back to a time when geology and paleontology were as young and vibrant as genetic engineering is today. The nineteenth-century pioneers of these new disciplines were an eccentric lot, from different social classes and sexes, with a range of motivations in fossil hunting. These "Dragon Seekers" sought to persuade a populace raised on a literal interpretation of Genesis that the ground they walked was once a very frightening and unfamiliar place. A sweeping narrative history, The Dragon Seekers shows how these remarkable characters forever changed our interpretation of the world and its inhabitants.

Cover 1 Contents 6 Preface 8 Acknowledgments 12 1 In the Beginning 16 2 Dragons by the Sea 26 3 The Scriptures and the Rocks 44 4 Chalk Pits and Leeches 56 5 The World of Darkness 66 6 Revelation 80 7 The Tooth of the Iguana 96 7 Just Causes 108 9 More Giants 120 10 Improving on Nature 132 11 Mr. Koning Regrets 148 12 The Professor and the Naturalist 164 13 Landslides, Glaciers, and Riots 180 14 Of Dinosaurs and Species 190 15 Decline and Fall 208 16 Beside the Sea 218 Notes 234 Further Reading 250 Sources of lllustrations and Credits 254 Index 256 It is remarkable fact that the human mind, which has had a presence on Earth for over 2 million years, only began rational thought on how species came into existence during the last three centuries. The dramatic story of how a group of nineteenth-century fossilists forever changed our view of history--and laid the groundwork for the Darwinian revolution