Despite – or perhaps because of – its many inaccuracies, this is a really charming book. It’s a perfect snapshot of 1980s palaeontology, with prehistoric animals being eagerly described as “intelligent and quick-moving” and potentially “warm-blooded just as we are.” Breakthrough discoveries are presented with gusto, but there’s plenty that wasn’t known or understood at the time. The entry on Deinocheirus sums up this wide-eyed attitude well: “It is a pair of arms and nothing else [...] we cannot even guess what the whole animal looked like”

The encyclopaedia is supplemented with extra information on dinosaur biology (such as locomotion and egg-laying), a list of record-breaking specimens, an overview of the origins of palaeontology, etc. I appreciate that kids are encouraged to visit museums and take up fossil hunting as a hobby.

The illustrations are nice but they’re not scientifically accurate. Most depict unnatural postures and are lanky or overly lizard-like (which is typical of 1980s palaeoart) though the oddest reconstruction has to be the Ankylosaurus, which resembles a gargoyle or a Chinese guardian lion. Syntarsus (now considered a synonym of Coelophysis) is shown with a speculative tuft of feathers on the back of its head, but all the other dinosaurs are restored with scales or elephantine skin.

Speaking of feathers, I was surprised by the exclusion of Archaeopteryx – not only did it not have its own entry in the encyclopaedia, it wasn’t mentioned once in the entire book. I did some digging and found a Nature article written by Benton in 1983 (a year before this book was released) titled “No consensus on Archaeopteryx” which shows that the animal’s classification as a dinosaur was a somewhat contentious issue at the time. The more you know!

The Dinosaur Encyclopedia taught me more about the history of palaeontology than about dinosaurs themselves, but that’s not a bad thing. This isn’t really a book I’d recommend to a kid looking for an introduction to prehistoric fauna but it’s definitely an interesting read for palaeo enthusiasts like myself, especially after having read Benton’s more recent book Dinosaurs Rediscovered which is dedicated to exploring the ways in which the field has evolved (no pun intended) from the 1980s to the present day.