Battle of the Dinosaur Bones: Othniel Charles Marsh vs Edward Drinker Cope (Scientific Rivalries and Scandals)

The infamous "Bone Wars" refers to the period in American history from the 1870's through to the 1890's when two paleontologists, Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, engaged in a bitter rivalry to discover the most dinosaur fossils (each working at the expense of the other, often using bribery and theft) and become the nation's leading paleontologist. The rivalry was dramatic, bitter and legendary. It also led to some of the most important discoveries about dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures.Rebecca L. Johnson's new book, The Battle of the Dinosaur Bones, presents the Marsh-Cope feud in an easy to follow, well-illustrated book that would be appropriate for children (and adults) of all ages. As someone who lives with an armchair paleontologist and is surrounded by dozens of dinosaur books all the time, I must say I LOVED this book. I don't find dinosaurs quite as intrinsically interesting as my partner Mike does, but I've always been completely fascinated with the characters of Marsh and Cope. I love how their rivalry partially started when Cope incorrectly assembled the fossil remains of the Elasmosaurus and put its head on the end of its tail instead of its neck (see below). Marsh saw it and ridiculed his colleague ruthlessly, sparking a professional animosity between the two men that reminds me of the rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.Which reminds me...Why isn't this a movie? I'm still amazed that the infamous "Bone Wars" hasn't been made into a major motion picture. It would make a great movie! It's already been the subject of books, graphic novels, a card game (!) and a PBS documentary called "Dinosaur Wars," but it needs to be a movie. Seriously. Just look at these two. So cinematic! I could picture them being played by David Bowie (circa The Prestige, when he played Tesla) and Paul Giamatti, no?Oh, one tiny little point of order:At one point in the book, Johnson refers to the Bay of Fundy, where Marsh discovered early fossils, as "in northeastern Canada." It's not. Trust me. That's actually where I grew up and it's in eastern Canada for sure, but it's absolutely not in the "north" by any means. A small point.For more reviews, please visit my blog, CozyLittleBookJournal.Disclaimer: I received a digital galley of this book free from the publisher from NetGalley. I was not obliged to write a favourable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh met in Berlin in 1863. One would think that because they were both "rising stars in the new scientific field of paleontology" that they would somehow be destined to become close friends. On the contrary, in time they became contentious rivals and enemies. Initially Marsh had little interest in anything when he was young, including an education. An inheritance made him rethink his life and at the age of twenty, he resolved to improve his lot in life and return to school. On a rock-hunting trip he found "two fossil fish vertebrae" that would alter his life. The money continued to flow as did his career.Cope, on the other hand, was a child prodigy who loved to walk the halls of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He was so impressed by what he saw "he started his own of rocks and fossils." Despite his father's insistence that he become a gentleman farmer, Cope pressed on, eventually becoming a student of Joseph Leidy, "the foremost U.S. anatomist and vertebrate paleontologist." By the time he met Marsh in Berlin he was already well established in the field and was "an expert in vertebrates, both living and extinct." What should have been a superb collaborative team quickly escalated into what became known as the "Bone Wars."The competition began when Marsh found an unusual bone, a bone that turned out "to be one of the most exciting discoveries" anyone had ever made in the field. It was from a pterodactyl, but not to be outdone, Cope headed for Kansas and "found a pterodactyl bigger than Marsh's." On and on they went. Cope however, was a more prodigious writer than Marsh, but Marsh had better funding for his expeditions. Many of their discoveries supported Darwin's theories and filled in those missing pieces needed to support his theory of evolution. Just how far would these two men go with their battle. Would the Bone Wars help much needed work in the field of paleontology or hinder its progress?This is an amazing look into the history of the scandalous rivalry between Marsh and Cope and their "Bone Wars." Not many young people are aware than these two men even existed, let alone the importance of their discoveries. The reader will be fascinated with the blow-by-blow account of their intense rivalry. Marsh and Cope gave us a valuable look into the past, but they also made "mistakes that other paleontologist took years to correct." The history of the field of paleontology in this book will be of high interest to anyone interested in the field, especially those interested in dinosaur fossils. The book has numerous black and white photographs and informative sidebars. In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, a timeline (1831 to 1899), source notes, a selected bibliography, and additional recommended book and website resources to explore.Scientific Rivalries and Scandals Battle of the Dinosaur Bones: Othniel Charles Marsh vs Edward Drinker Cope Decoding Our DNA: Craig Venter vs the Human Genome Project The Race to Discover the Aids Virus: Luc Montagnier vs Robert Gailo War of the Currents: Thomas Edison vs Nikola Tesla This book courtesy of the publisher.

Short & to the point,--shame these two guys didn't work together instead of trying to ruin each other. Two childish guys!

Unfortunately, this book is only 64 pages long, which I only found out when it finally had arrived with me.That's a shame, because as far as the informational value goes, the book isn't half-bad: it got enough informations to Marsh as well as to Cope, and it's written very understandable. But for this price there could be so much more: maps perhaps, or information boxes to the dinosaurs that Marsh and Cope found.