Life before man,

This book is very special,although it is old and may not continue the today`s vision of the dinosaurs (for example,the Apatosaur is living in water)it is fun to see the old visions of the prehistoric. And this edition is completley updated,with the latest facts. The text is completley different from that of the old edition. It is also fun to see the new illustrations,although those are not made by Burian himself. I am a great enthusiast of his prehistoric paintings,and I think they are very inspiring,because I like to paint own dinos in aquarelle. Over all,Life Before Man is a classic in illustrated natural history books. The only thing I miss is that some of the old paintings are gone and has been replaced by others. Life Before Man covers the history of the Earth,from a time with volcanoes to the dawn of man. So,sit down and enjoy this exciting adventure under 3000 million years!

Burian is an excellent illustrator of prehistoric life. One of the best of the early illustrators, this catalog of his paintings rates with the best paintings of Charles R. Knight (several of these paintings occur in National Geographic's 'Our Continent'). Though the science has changed some of the depictions painted, I still HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book for those who simply love outstanding paintings of dinosaurs, trilobites, etc. living out their lives in excellent dioramas. I wouldn't part with my copy for anything.

The 233 illustrations in this book easily make the cover price seem trivial. Mr. Burian was one of the finest prehistoric illustrators ever. These paintings and drawings were previouly printed in several earlier works and combined here.